Metamorphoses

[met-uh-mawr-fuh-seez]

noun

a series of mythological tales or legends in verse (a.d. 7–8) by Ovid.

metamorphose

[met-uh-mawr-fohz, -fohs]

verb (used with object), met·a·mor·phosed, met·a·mor·phos·ing.

to change the form or nature of; transform.

to subject to metamorphosis or metamorphism.

verb (used without object), met·a·mor·phosed, met·a·mor·phos·ing.

to undergo or be capable of undergoing a change in form or nature.

Origin of metamorphose

First recorded in 1570–80; back formation from metamorphosis

Related formsun·met·a·mor·phosed, adjective

Synonyms for metamorphose

1, 3. mutate, transmute.

metamorphosis

[met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis]

noun, plural met·a·mor·pho·ses [met-uh-mawr-fuh-seez] /ˌmɛt əˈmɔr fəˌsiz/.

Biology. a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism, as from the caterpillar to the pupa and from the pupa to the adult butterfly.Compare complete metamorphosis.

a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation by magic or witchcraft.

any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances, etc.

a form resulting from any such change.

Pathology.

a type of alteration or degeneration in which tissues are changed: fatty metamorphosis of the liver.
the resultant form.

Botany. the structural or functional modification of a plant organ or structure during its development.

Origin of metamorphosis

1525–35; < New Latin metamorphōsis < Greek metamórphōsis transformation. See meta-, -morph, -osis

Related formsnon·met·a·mor·pho·sis, noun, plural non·met·a·mor·pho·ses.

Synonyms for metamorphosis

2. mutation, transmutation.

Antonyms for metamorphosis

1, 2. stasis.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for metamorphoses

rebirth, evolution, transfiguration, alteration, transubstantiation, transmogrification, change, translation, changeover, transmutation, mutation

Examples from the Web for metamorphoses

Contemporary Examples of metamorphoses

The transformations contained in The Pregnant Widow (as in "The Metamorphoses") are sexual, physical, and philosophical, too.
Martin Amis' Sexual Revolution
Olivia Cole
May 10, 2010
Versailles will continue its metamorphoses, but these glittering images will remain still.
Escapism
Rachel Hulin
October 24, 2008

Historical Examples of metamorphoses

Ovid was not a greater master of metamorphoses than thy friend.
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
With the metamorphoses of various insects Aristotle was well acquainted.
The Legacy of Greece
Various
The story, with but a few necessary alterations, comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses.
John Lyly
John Dover Wilson
These little myths and metamorphoses of gems are ingenious and graceful.
A History of French Literature
Edward Dowden
You may trace most of the Metamorphoses of Ovid on the walls of the cathedrals.
The Story of Rouen
Sir Theodore Andrea Cook

British Dictionary definitions for metamorphoses

metamorphose

verb

to undergo or cause to undergo metamorphosis or metamorphism

metamorphosis

noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)

a complete change of physical form or substance

a complete change of character, appearance, etc

a person or thing that has undergone metamorphosis

zoology the rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in certain animals, for example the stage between tadpole and frog or between chrysalis and butterfly

Word Origin for metamorphosis

C16: via Latin from Greek: transformation, from meta- + morphē form

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for metamorphoses

metamorphosis

1530s, "change of form or shape," especially by witchcraft, from Latin metamorphosis, from Greek metamorphosis "a transforming, a transformation," from metamorphoun "to transform, to be transfigured," from meta- "change" (see meta-) + morphe "form" (see Morpheus). Biological sense is from 1660s. As the title of Ovid's work, late 14c., Metamorphoseos, from Latin Metamorphoses (plural).

metamorphose

1570s, from Middle French métamorphoser (16c.), from métamorphose (n.), from Latin metamorphosis (see metamorphosis). Related: Metamorphosed. The Greek verb was metamorphoun.

metamorphoses in Medicine

metamorphosis

[mĕt′ə-môr′fə-sĭs]

n. pl. met•a•mor•pho•ses (-sēz′)

A marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function.transformation

A change in the form and often habits of an animal during normal development after the embryonic stage. Metamorphosis includes, in insects, the transformation of a maggot into an adult fly and a caterpillar into a butterfly and, in amphibians, the changing of a tadpole into a frog.

A usually degenerative pathological change in the structure of a particular body tissue.

Related formsmet′a•mor•phot′ic (-môr-fŏt′ĭk) adj.

metamorphoses in Science

metamorphosis

[mĕt′ə-môr′fə-sĭs]

Dramatic change in the form and often the habits of an animal during its development after birth or hatching. The transformation of a maggot into an adult fly and of a tadpole into an adult frog are examples of metamorphosis. The young of such animals are called larvae.

metamorphoses in Culture

Metamorphoses

[(met-uh-mawr-fuh-seez)]

A long poem by the ancient Roman poet Ovid, in which he relates numerous stories from classical mythology. Many of the stories deal with miraculous transformations, or metamorphoses.

metamorphosis

[(met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis)]

A change in an animal as it grows, particularly a radical change, such as the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly.