Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

Metamorphoses

 - 11 dictionary results
Top Wine School in USA
Int'l Recognized Certification US Sommelier Assoc Wine School
www.ussommelier.com
Metamorphoses by Ovid
Study Guide: Summary, Analysis, Themes, Characters, Essays: $7.99
BookRags.com
Metamorphoses at Amazon
Millions of titles, new & used. Qualified orders over $25 ship free
Amazon.com/books

Met⋅a⋅mor⋅pho⋅ses

  [met-uh-mawr-fuh-seez]
Use Metamorphoses in a Sentence
–noun
a series of mythological tales or legends in verse (a.d. 7–8) by Ovid.
Top Wine School in USA
Int'l Recognized Certification US Sommelier Assoc Wine School
www.ussommelier.com
Metamorphoses by Ovid
Study Guide: Summary, Analysis, Themes, Characters, Essays: $7.99
BookRags.com

met⋅a⋅mor⋅phose

  [met-uh-mawr-fohz, -fohs] verb, -phosed, -phos⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to change the form or nature of; transform.
2. to subject to metamorphosis or metamorphism.
–verb (used without object)
3. to undergo or be capable of undergoing a change in form or nature.
Origin:
1570–80; back formation from metamorphosis

Synonyms:
1, 3. mutate, transmute.

met⋅a⋅mor⋅pho⋅sis

  [met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis]
–noun, plural -ses  [-seez] .
1. Biology. a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism, as from the caterpillar to the pupa and from the pupa to the adult butterfly. Compare complete metamorphosis.
2. a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation by magic or witchcraft.
3. any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances, etc.
4. a form resulting from any such change.
5. Pathology.
a. a type of alteration or degeneration in which tissues are changed: fatty metamorphosis of the liver.
b. the resultant form.
6. Botany. the structural or functional modification of a plant organ or structure during its development.
Origin:
1525–35; < NL metamorphōsis < Gk metamórphōsis transformation. See meta-, -morph, -osis

Synonyms:
2. mutation, transmutation.

Antonyms:
1, 2. stasis.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Metamorphoses
met·a·mor·phose   (mět'ə-môr'fōz', -fōs')   
v.   met·a·mor·phosed, met·a·mor·phos·ing, met·a·mor·phos·es

v.   tr.

  1. To change into a wholly different form or appearance; transform: "His eyes turned bloodshot, and he was metamorphosed into a raging fiend" (Jack London).

  2. To subject to metamorphosis or metamorphism.

v.   intr.
To be changed or transformed by or as if by metamorphosis or metamorphism. See Synonyms at convert.

[French métamorphoser, from Old French, from metamorphose, metamorphosis, from Latin metamorphōsis; see metamorphosis.]
met·a·mor·pho·sis   (mět'ə-môr'fə-sĭs)   


(click for larger image in new window)
n.   pl. met·a·mor·pho·ses (-sēz')

  1. A transformation, as by magic or sorcery.

  2. A marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function.

  3. Biology A change in the form and often habits of an animal during normal development after the embryonic stage. Metamorphosis includes, in insects, the transformation of a maggot into an adult fly and a caterpillar into a butterfly and, in amphibians, the changing of a tadpole into a frog.

  4. Pathology A usually degenerative change in the structure of a particular body tissue.


[Latin metamorphōsis, from Greek, from metamorphoun, to transform : meta-, meta- + morphē, form.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

Metamorphoses [(met-uh-mawr-fuh-seez)]

A long poem by the ancient Roman poet Ovid, in which he relates numerous stories from classical mythology. Many of the stories deal with miraculous transformations, or metamorphoses.


metamorphosis [(met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis)]

A change in an animal as it grows, particularly a radical change, such as the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

metamorphosis 
1533, "change of form or shape, especially by witchcraft," from L., from Gk. metamorphosis "a transforming," from metamorphoun "to transform," from meta- "change" (see meta-) + morphe "form" (see morphine). Metamorphic, in geological sense, is first attested 1833, in Lyell; rocks whose form has been changed by heat or pressure.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: meta·mor·phose
Pronunciation: -"fOz, -"fOs
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Forms: -phosed; -phos·ing
: to undergo metamorphosis

Main Entry: meta·mor·pho·sis
Pronunciation: "met-&-'mor-f&-s&s
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural meta·mor·pho·ses /-"sEz/
1 : change of physical form, structure, or substance
2 : a marked and more or less abruptdevelopmental change in the form or structure of an animal (as a butterfly or a frog) occurring subsequent to birth or hatching
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

metamorphosis met·a·mor·pho·sis (mět'ə-môr'fə-sĭs)
n. pl. met·a·mor·pho·ses (-sēz')

  1. A marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function. Also called transformation.

  2. A change in the form and often habits of an animal during normal development after the embryonic stage. Metamorphosis includes, in insects, the transformation of a maggot into an adult fly and a caterpillar into a butterfly and, in amphibians, the changing of a tadpole into a frog.

  3. A usually degenerative pathological change in the structure of a particular body tissue.

met'a·mor·phot'ic (-môr-fŏt'ĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see Metamorphoses on Thesaurus | Reference
Metamorphoses at Amazon
Millions of titles, new & used. Qualified orders over $25 ship free
Amazon.com/books
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way