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.
Christopher Stephen Clark, the English musician who records as Clark, has built a huge, polymorphous catalog of instrumental music that ranges from stark, austere techno to exquisite chamber-music soundtracks.
From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2023
Examples of polymorphous networks whose symmetries need greater understanding include cubic halide perovskites, paramagnets and paraelectric oxides.
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 expression "Cells with polymorphous nuclei" would be more accurate.
From Histology of the Blood Normal and Pathological by Myers, W.
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.
