polymorph

[ pol-ee-mawrf ]

noun
  1. Biology. an organism having more than one form or type as a result of discontinuous variation.

  2. Crystallography. any of the crystal forms assumed by a substance that exhibits polymorphism.

  1. Anatomy. granulocyte.

Origin of polymorph

1
First recorded in 1820–30; from Greek polýmorphos; see poly-, -morph

Other words from polymorph

  • pol·y·mor·phic [pol-ee-mawr-fik] /ˌpɒl iˈmɔr fɪk/ adjective

Words Nearby polymorph

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for polymorph

polymorph

/ (ˈpɒlɪˌmɔːf) /


noun
  1. a species of animal or plant that exhibits polymorphism

  2. any of the crystalline forms of a chemical compound that exhibits polymorphism

  1. 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

Origin of polymorph

1
C19: from Greek polumorphos having many forms

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012