polymorphic

American  

[pol-ee-mawr-fik] / ˌpɒl iˈmɔr fɪk /

adjective

1. Biology. (of a species) having more than one form or type as a result of discontinuous variation.

   Cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower are all forms of a single polymorphic species.

2. Computers. of or relating to a virus or other malignant code that has many forms, changing as it replicates.

   Polymorphic malware, which changes its identity up to 19 times a day to avoid detection while taking control of users' computers, has been successfully deactivated.

3. Crystallography. of or relating to a substance that crystallizes into two or more forms having different structure but identical chemistry.

   The pharmaceutical under study here, at five structurally characterized forms, is one of the most polymorphic drugs known.

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Etymology

Origin of polymorphic

poly- ( def. ) + -morphic ( def. )

Example Sentences

T. cristinae is polymorphic in regard to its body color and pattern.

From Science Daily • May 24, 2024

The genes that code for each opsin has seven sites in the gene that are polymorphic: They can have different letters of DNA.

From Scientific American • Nov. 1, 2022

A March 2022 study found that the human eye couldn’t tell male polymorphic wood tiger moth genotypes apart — but moth vision models with ultraviolet light sensitivity could.

From The Verge • Apr. 20, 2022

Similarly, developers can also use polymorphic code to turn malware into a chameleon, capable of changing its appearance every time it runs.

From Slate • Feb. 16, 2017

Dr. Beddersley came—a dapper little man, with pent-house eyebrows, and keen, small eyes, whom I suspected at sight of being Colonel Clay himself in another of his clever polymorphic embodiments.

From An African Millionaire Episodes in the Life of the Illustrious Colonel Clay by Allen, Grant