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View synonyms for polymorphism
polymorphism
[ pol-ee-mawr-fiz-uhm ]
noun
- the state or condition of being polymorphous.
- Crystallography. crystallization into two or more chemically identical but crystallographically distinct forms.
- Biology. the existence of an organism in several form or color varieties as a result of discontinuous variation.
- Genetics. the presence of two or more distinct phenotypes in a population due to the expression of different alleles of a given gene, as human blood groups O, A, B, and AB.
polymorphism
/ ˌpɒlɪˈmɔːfɪzəm /
noun
- biology
- the occurrence of more than one form of individual in a single species within an interbreeding population
- the occurrence of more than one form in the individual polyps of a coelenterate colony
- the existence or formation of different types of crystal of the same chemical compound
polymorphism
/ pŏl′ē-môr′fĭz′əm /
- The occurrence of more than one form, as several alleles of a particular gene or winged and wingless forms of the same species. In bees, the presence of queen, worker, and drone is an example of polymorphism. Differences between the sexes and between breeds of domesticated animals are not considered examples of polymorphism.
- The crystallization of a compound in at least two distinct forms. Diamond and graphite, for example, are polymorphs of the element carbon. They both consist entirely of carbon but have different crystal structures and different physical properties.
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Other Words From
- poly·mor·phistic adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of polymorphism1
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Example Sentences
We now understand the process by which a polymorphic race maintains its polymorphism.
From Project Gutenberg
Four days later, after the fourth ecdysis, the dimorphism becomes a polymorphism.
From Project Gutenberg
On these grounds I designate the phenomenon as polymorphism, although it may not yet have reached, as such, its sharpest limits.
From Project Gutenberg
It is chiefly amongst the microscopic species that polymorphism has been determined.
From Project Gutenberg
This system of reproduction is again noticed more in detail in the chapter on polymorphism.
From Project Gutenberg
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