polymorph

[pol-ee-mawrf]

noun

Biology. an organism having more than one adult form, as the different castes in social ants.

Crystallography. any of the crystal forms assumed by a substance that exhibits polymorphism.

Anatomy. granulocyte.

Origin of polymorph

1820–30; < Greek polýmorphos; see poly-, -morph

Related formspol·y·mor·phic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for polymorph

polymorph

noun

a species of animal or plant that exhibits polymorphism

any of the crystalline forms of a chemical compound that exhibits polymorphism

Also called: polymorphonuclear leucocyte any of a group of white blood cells that have lobed nuclei and granular cytoplasm and function as phagocytes; they include neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils

Word Origin for polymorph

C19: from Greek polumorphos having many forms

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

Word Origin and History for polymorph

"organism of several forms," 1828, from Greek polymorphos "of many forms" (see polymorphous).