polymorph

[ pol-ee-mawrf ]

/ ˈpɒl iˌmɔrf /

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.

Nearby words

polymerism, polymerization, polymerize, polymerous, polymethyl methacrylate, polymorph, polymorphic function, polymorphic reticulosis, polymorphism, polymorphocellular, polymorphonuclear

Origin of polymorph

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

Related forms

pol·y·mor·phic, adjective

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

British Dictionary definitions for polymorph

polymorph

/ (ˈpɒlɪˌmɔːf) /

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