complete metamorphosis
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of complete metamorphosis
First recorded in 1840–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So many species with such a wide range of incomplete to complete metamorphosis!
From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2018
It’s premature to call this a complete metamorphosis.
From Washington Post • May 1, 2015
Other animals, such as some insects and amphibians, undergo complete metamorphosis in which individuals enter one or more larval stages.
From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013
Thereupon the florist's ideas undergo a complete metamorphosis on the subject of capital punishment.
From Time Magazine Archive
As Maria discovered, all butterflies and moths undergo complete metamorphosis, which means they move through four very different phases: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
