polymorphous

American  

[pol-ee-mawr-fuhs] / ˌpɒl iˈmɔr fəs /

adjective

1. having, assuming, or passing through many or various forms, stages, or the like.

2. polymorphic.

---

polymorphous British  

/ ˌpɒlɪˈmɔːfəs /

adjective

1. having, taking, or passing through many different forms or stages

2. (of a substance) exhibiting polymorphism

3. (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”; poly-, -morphous

Example Sentences

To intensify the sense of dissolving boundaries, Quarles has painted her polymorphous people using different techniques.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2019

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 eosinophile cells are not so densely packed with coarse oxpyhile granules as in the human eosinophile, and the nuclei of these cells are usually much divided, or polymorphous.

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)