incomplete metamorphosis

[ in-kuhm-pleetmet-uh-mawr-fuh-sis ]

/ ɪn kəmˈplit mɛt əˈmɔr fə sɪs /

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noun

insect development, as in the grasshopper and cricket, in which the change is gradual and characterized by the absence of a pupal stage.

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Also called im·per·fect met·a·mor·pho·sis,

[im-pur-fikt met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis] /ɪmˈpɜr fɪkt mɛt əˈmɔr fə sɪs/ hemimetabolism .

Compare complete metamorphosis.

Origin of incomplete metamorphosis

First recorded in 1770–75

Words nearby incomplete metamorphosis

incomplete dominance, incomplete fistula, incomplete flower, incomplete foot presentation, incomplete fracture, incomplete metamorphosis, incompletion, incompliant, incomprehensible, incomprehension, incomprehensive

How to use incomplete metamorphosis in a sentence

In the meantime, most of the detailed studies are incomplete in one way or another.
New York’s Conservative Fracking Ban|Jay Michaelson|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Metamorphosis is running at Lincoln Center, 63rd Street and 9th Avenue, until January 11, 2015.
How the Circus Got a Social Conscience|Justin Jones|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I speak here to warn people that the facts presented in the opera are incomplete and distorted.
Rudy Giuliani: Why I Protested ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’|Rudy Giuliani|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Was what happened to the Central Park Five completely wrong, or simply incomplete?
The Myth of the Central Park Five|Edward Conlon|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

As a portrait of childhood in America, it is incomplete enough to be irresponsible.
Black 'Boyhood' Is Always Black First, Boy Later|Teo Bugbee|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An octave coupler without such extension is incomplete and is no more honest than a stop which only goes down to Tenor C.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
He said it because his sentence sounded otherwise suspiciously incomplete.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
Here ends Chaucer's portion of the translation, in the middle of an incomplete sentence, without any verb.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
This sentence is incomplete; the translator has missed the line—'Et qu'ele a sa vie perdue.'
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
Every contract on a negotiable note is incomplete and revocable until its delivery.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles