polymorph
Americannoun
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Biology. an organism having more than one form or type as a result of discontinuous variation.
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Crystallography. any of the crystal forms assumed by a substance that exhibits polymorphism.
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Anatomy. granulocyte.
noun
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a species of animal or plant that exhibits polymorphism
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any of the crystalline forms of a chemical compound that exhibits polymorphism
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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
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of polymorph
First recorded in 1820–30; from Greek polýmorphos; see poly-, -morph
Vocabulary lists containing polymorph
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.
As an example, production of the high-pressure spinel polymorph of Li2MoO4 was only previously achieved in a high temperature and high-pressure chamber under a pressure more than 10,000 times the pressure of Earth's atmosphere.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2023
In the comics, Kamala gains polymorph and other enhanced abilities after being exposed to a special mist that awakened latent powers that are tied to a race of superpowered, human-ish aliens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2022
Now a polymorph, Kamala initially struggles to control her powers but soon gets the hang of it after saving one of her schoolmates during a moment of danger.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2022
Calcite is often precipitated by organisms as a polymorph called aragonite.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017
The cellular spread of amyloid-β is supported further by the presence of a single amyloid-β polymorph in different regions of the brain in people with AD92.
From Nature ● Nov. 8, 2016
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.
