polymorphous
Americanadjective
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having, assuming, or passing through many or various forms, stages, or the like.
adjective
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having, taking, or passing through many different forms or stages
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(of a substance) exhibiting polymorphism
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(of an animal or plant) displaying or undergoing polymorphism
Etymology
Origin of polymorphous
First recorded in 1775–85, polymorphous is from the Greek word polýmorphos “multiform”; see poly-, -morphous
Vocabulary lists containing polymorphous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Viewed today, the show’s quirky communitarianism — its idea of America as a polymorphous, all-welcoming dance party — feels like both celebration and requiem for the irreplaceable delight dancing together on a stage.
From New York Times • Oct. 16, 2020
Databases must be expanded to include the effects of polymorphous structures, defects, magnetism and doping on the basic symmetries of compounds.
From Nature • Feb. 26, 2019
Yet, gazing into the eyes of the self-possessed queen Emerald, Cooper’s Maine clearly accepts the polymorphous, femme-driven future the drag bar represents; it’s one of the movie’s sharpest intertextual moments.
From Slate • Dec. 22, 2018
Ten to twenty per cent of the population in Europe and North America suffers at one time or another from polymorphous light eruption, in which exposure to ultraviolet light causes a burning or itching rash.
From The New Yorker • Sep. 19, 2016
The nucleus is not polymorphous, but usually divided into two, though it may be single.
From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by Eyre, J. W. H. (John William Henry)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
