polymorph

[ pol-ee-mawrf ]

/ ˈpɒl iˌmɔrf /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR polymorph ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

RELATED WORDS

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

Examples from the Web for polymorphic

This interesting form is polymorphic and mimics different species of Amauris.
Mimicry in Butterflies|Reginald Crundall Punnett
But it is polymorphic variability in the strictest sense of the word.
Darwin and Modern Science|A.C. Seward and Others
Multiform, mul′ti-form, adj. having many forms, polymorphic.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various
The variations have lead authors to divide this polymorphic species into several species and varieties.
Trees of Indiana|Charles Clemon Deam

Polymorphic species may now be regarded as the link which unites ordinary variability with the historical production of species.
Darwin and Modern Science|A.C. Seward and Others

British Dictionary definitions for polymorphic

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