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metamorphosis
[ met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis ]
/ ˌmɛt əˈmɔr fə sɪs /
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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.
OTHER WORDS FOR metamorphosis
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Origin of metamorphosis
OTHER WORDS FROM metamorphosis
non·met·a·mor·pho·sis, noun, plural non·met·a·mor·pho·ses.Words nearby metamorphosis
metamorphic rock, metamorphism, metamorphopsia, metamorphose, Metamorphoses, metamorphosis, metamorphous, Metamucil, metamyelocyte, metanalysis, metanarrative
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use metamorphosis in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for metamorphosis
metamorphosis
/ (ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs) /
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
Medical definitions for metamorphosis
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.
Other words from metamorphosis
met′a•mor•phot′ic (-môr-fŏt′ĭk) adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for metamorphosis
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for metamorphosis
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.