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metamorphosis

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met⋅a⋅mor⋅pho⋅sis

  [met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis]
Use metamorphosis in a Sentence
–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.
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Metamorphosis, The

 
–noun German, Die Verwandlung)
a short story (1915) by Franz Kafka.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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met·a·mor·pho·sis   (mět'ə-môr'fə-sĭs)   


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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.
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Cultural Dictionary

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.
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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
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Medical Dictionary

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.
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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.
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