morphology
the branch of biology dealing with the form and structure of organisms.
the form and structure of an organism considered as a whole.
Linguistics.
the patterns of word formation in a particular language, including inflection, derivation, and composition.
the study and description of such patterns.
the study of the behavior and combination of morphemes.
Physical Geography. geomorphology.
the form or structure of anything: to gain an insight into the morphology of our political system.
the study of the form or structure of anything.
Origin of morphology
1Other words from morphology
- mor·pho·log·ic [mawr-fuh-loj-ik], /ˌmɔr fəˈlɒdʒ ɪk/, mor·pho·log·i·cal, adjective
- mor·pho·log·i·cal·ly, adverb
- mor·phol·o·gist, noun
- un·mor·pho·log·i·cal, adjective
- un·mor·pho·log·i·cal·ly, adverb
Words Nearby morphology
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use morphology in a sentence
“The mosasaurs were still experimenting with new ways of feeding, new morphologies, new lifestyles just before that asteroid came down,” Longrich says.
This ancient sea reptile had a slicing bite like no other | Jake Buehler | February 2, 2021 | Science NewsThe morphology of the canine was so similar to a mega-size gray wolf that nobody thought to argue with what seemed like a sure thing.
Dire wolves are actually ice age mega-foxes | Sara Kiley Watson | January 21, 2021 | Popular-ScienceStill, structure and function go hand-in-hand in biology, so it’s reasonable to expect one day neuroscientists will know how specific neuronal morphologies contribute to activity profiles.
An Existential Crisis in Neuroscience - Issue 94: Evolving | Grigori Guitchounts | December 30, 2020 | NautilusIn one, rapid diversification in some aspect of body morphology produces a burst of new species at first, and then speciation slows as the available niches fill up.
New Fish Data Reveal How Evolutionary Bursts Create Species | Elena Renken | December 1, 2020 | Quanta MagazineKeefe recently published a paper in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society on the morphology of 89 species of frogs from every continent except Antarctica.
Recognition of the pneumococcus depends upon its morphology, the fact that it is Gram-staining, and the presence of a capsule.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddFunctional morphology of three bats: Sumops, Myotis, Macrotus.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala | William E. DuellmanTheir influence reaches far beyond the proper sphere of phonetics and invades that of morphology, as we shall see.
Language | Edward SapirAlthough it is as an anatomist that Nehemiah Grew is best known, his grasp of external morphology is perhaps even more remarkable.
We must recollect that the comparative morphology of the ovule (in the wide sense) was not attempted.
British Dictionary definitions for morphology
/ (mɔːˈfɒlədʒɪ) /
the branch of biology concerned with the form and structure of organisms
the form and structure of words in a language, esp the consistent patterns of inflection, combination, derivation and change, etc, that may be observed and classified
the form and structure of anything
Derived forms of morphology
- morphologic (ˌmɔːfəˈlɒdʒɪk) or morphological, adjective
- morphologically, adverb
- morphologist, noun
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
Scientific definitions for morphology
[ môr-fŏl′ə-jē ]
The size, shape, and structure of an organism or one of its parts. Biologists usually describe the morphology of an organism separately from its physiology. In traditional systems of taxonomy, classifications were based on the morphological characteristics of organisms. However, a method of classification based purely on morphology runs the risk of grouping together organisms that are actually relatively unrelated but have evolved similar features. In more modern systems of taxonomy, the genetic similarity of organisms, studied through the methods of molecular biology, is considered in addition to morphology when establishing taxa.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for morphology
[ (mawr-fol-uh-jee) ]
The study of the structure of living things. (Compare anatomy and physiology.)
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.
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