metamorphosis

[ met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis ]
See synonyms for metamorphosis on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural met·a·mor·pho·ses [met-uh-mawr-fuh-seez]. /ˌmɛt əˈmɔr fəˌsiz/.
  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.

  1. any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances, etc.

  2. a form resulting from any such change.

  3. Pathology.

    • a type of alteration or degeneration in which tissues are changed: fatty metamorphosis of the liver.

    • the resultant form.

  4. Botany. the structural or functional modification of a plant organ or structure during its development.

Origin of metamorphosis

1
First recorded in 1525–35; from New Latin metamorphōsis, from Greek metamórphōsis “transformation”; equivalent to meta- + -morph + -osis

Other words for metamorphosis

Opposites for metamorphosis

Other words from metamorphosis

  • non·met·a·mor·pho·sis, noun, plural non·met·a·mor·pho·ses.

Words Nearby metamorphosis

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

How to use metamorphosis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for metamorphosis

metamorphosis

/ (ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs) /


nounplural -ses (-ˌsiːz)
  1. a complete change of physical form or substance

  2. a complete change of character, appearance, etc

  1. a person or thing that has undergone metamorphosis

  2. zoology the rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in certain animals, for example the stage between tadpole and frog or between chrysalis and butterfly

Origin of metamorphosis

1
C16: via Latin from Greek: transformation, from meta- + morphē form

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

Scientific definitions for metamorphosis

metamorphosis

[ mĕt′ə-môrfə-sĭs ]


  1. Dramatic change in the form and often the habits of an animal during its development after birth or hatching. The transformation of a maggot into an adult fly and of a tadpole into an adult frog are examples of metamorphosis. The young of such animals are called larvae.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for metamorphosis

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 New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.