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View synonyms for morph

morph

1

[ mawrf ]

noun

  1. Linguistics. a sequence of phonemes constituting a minimal unit of grammar or syntax, and, as such, a representation, member, or contextual variant of a morpheme in a specific environment. Compare allomorph ( def 2 ).
  2. Biology. an individual of one particular form, as a worker ant, in a species that occurs in two or more forms.


verb (used with object)

  1. to transform (an image) by computer.

verb (used without object)

  1. to be transformed:

    morphing from a tough negotiator to Mr. Friendly.

morph-

2
  1. variant of morpho- before a vowel:

    morpheme.

-morph

3
  1. a combining form meaning “form, structure,” of the kind specified by the initial element:

    isomorph.

morph

1

/ mɔːf /

verb

  1. to undergo or cause to undergo morphing
  2. to transform or be transformed completely in appearance or character

    he morphed from nerd into pop icon

“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


noun

  1. a morphed image
“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

-morph

2

combining form

  1. indicating shape, form, or structure of a specified kind

    ectomorph

“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

morph

3

/ mɔːf /

noun

  1. biology any of the different forms of individual found in a polymorphic species
“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

morph

4

/ mɔːf /

noun

  1. linguistics the phonological representation of a morpheme
“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

morph.

5

abbreviation for

  1. morphological
  2. morphology
“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

morph

/ môrf /

  1. A phenotypically distinct form of an organism or species.


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Derived Forms

  • -morphy, combining_form:in_noun:countable
  • -morphic, combining_form:in_adjective
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Other Words From

  • morphic adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of morph1

1945–50; back formation from morpheme, or independent use of -morph

Origin of morph2

< Greek -morphos; -morphous
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Word History and Origins

Origin of morph1

from Greek -morphos, from morphē shape

Origin of morph2

C20: from Greek morphē shape

Origin of morph3

C20: shortened form of morpheme
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Example Sentences

But while the drug may not morph into a money making machine, it may work to maintain the safety of residents.

That song would soon morph from the jaunty clip of the light rail to the siren sounds of jazz.

I knew he was the only actor who would be willing to morph into the numerous subjects portrayed in the original images.

The notion to morph a specialty tortilla chip into a taco shell at first may sound like it would be a snap.

When the raven-man promises Bran that he will “fly,” does he mean the boy is about to morph into mutant bird as well?

The wings of white morph butterflies bring the highest price, but even a common swallow-tail is riches enough.

"ber die Beziehungen zwischen Mammartasche u. Marsupium," Morph.

This is a common color morph in many species of Eleutherodactylus.

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Related Words

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Words That Use morph-

What does morph- mean?

Morph- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “form, structure.” It is often occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology and linguistics.

Morph- comes from Greek morphḗ, meaning “form.”

What are variants of morph-?

Morph– is a variant of morpho, which loses its –o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Additional related combining forms include morphic, morphism, and morphous. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on all four combining forms.

Examples of morph-

One example of a scientific term that features the form morph– is morphosis, “the sequence or manner of development or change in an organism or any of its parts.” The word morphosis comes from Greek mórphōsis, which uses the equivalent of morph– in that language.

As we have seen, morph– means “form,” and the osis portion of the word refers to “action” or “state of being,” from Greek –ōsis. Morphosis literally means “the state of forms.”

What are some words that use the combining form morph-?

What are some other forms that morph– may be commonly confused with?

Not every word that begins with the exact letters morph-, such as morphine, is necessarily using the combining form morph– to denote “form.” Learn how the drug morphine got its name at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The suffix eme is used in linguistics to mean “significant unit.” With this in mind, what does morpheme mean?

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