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pleomorphism

or ple·o·mor·phy

[ plee-uh-mawr-fiz-uhm ]

noun

Biology.
  1. existence of an organism in two or more distinct forms during the life cycle; polymorphism.


pleomorphism

/ ˈpliːəˌmɔːfɪ; ˌpliːəˈmɔːˌfɪzəm /

noun

  1. the occurrence of more than one different form in the life cycle of a plant or animal
  2. the occurrence of more than one different form of crystal of one chemical compound; polymorphism
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˌpleoˈmorphic, adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pleomorphism1

First recorded in 1860–65; pleo- + -morph + -ism
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Example Sentences

He believes that when your blood becomes acidic, something weird happens, and your blood cells transform into bacteria - a phenomenon he calls pleomorphism - thereby resulting in a diseased state.

From BBC

This variation in morphology is known as "pleomorphism."

Zopf in 1885 proposed a scheme based on the acceptance of extreme views of pleomorphism; his system, however, was extraordinarily impracticable and was recognized by him as provisional only.

Some of the factors influencing pleomorphism are: 1.

The question, What is an individual? has given rise to much difficulty, and around it many of the speculations regarding pleomorphism have centred without useful result.

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