morpho

¹ American  

[mawr-foh] / ˈmɔr foʊ /

noun

plural

morphos

1. any of various large, tropical American butterflies of the genus Morpho, having brilliant blue, iridescent wings with an underside of brown or gray and eyelike spots.

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morpho- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “form, structure,” used in the formation of compound words.

   morphology.

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morpho- British  

combining form

1. indicating form or structure

   morphology

2. morpheme

   morphophonemics

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Usage

What does morpho- mean? Morpho- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “form, structure.” It is often occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology and linguistics. Morpho- comes from Greek morphḗ, meaning “form.”What are variants of morpho-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, morpho- becomes morph-, as in morphactin. Additional related combining forms include -morphic, -morphism, and -morphous. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on all four combining forms.

Etymology

Origin of morpho¹

First recorded in 1850–55; from New Latin Morphō, genus name, from Greek Morphṓ “the Shapely, the Beautiful” (an epithet of Aphrodite in Sparta), akin to morphḗ “form, shape, figure, beauty”

Origin of morpho-²

< Greek, combining form of morphḗ

Example Sentences

In the Amazon, tapirs with droopy trunks and watery eyes step "mincingly" along riverbanks, and blue morpho butterflies the size of postcards careen "reckless and beautiful" through their camp.

From Salon • May 24, 2022

Mimicking a light-filled 80-degree rainforest, this 1,200-square-foot vivarium provides close encounters with as many as 500 creatures, such as monarch, viceroy, blue morpho and emerald swallowtail butterflies, and atlas and luna moths.

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2021

The tiny scales on a morpho butterfly’s wings, for example, are covered with minuscule ridges that have cross-ribs—a little like the profile of a fir tree.

From Scientific American • Nov. 13, 2020

We ended up doing independent study together, and she taught me about the morpho butterfly, which is sort of a poster child for structural color.

From Slate • Sep. 20, 2016

She doubted a doctor would give this morpho a second glance, but it was fun to push the software to its limits.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld