morpho

Morpho– is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “form, structure.” It is often occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology and linguistics.

Morpho– comes from Greek morphḗ, meaning “form.”

What are variants of morpho-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, morpho– becomes morph–, as in morphactin. Additional related combining forms include –morphic, –morphism, and –morphous. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on all four combining forms.

A scientific term that uses the form morpho– is morphology, “the branch of biology dealing with the form and structure of organisms.”

We know morpho– means “form,” while the –logy portion of the word refers to “science” or “body of knowledge,” from Greek logía. Morphology literally translates to “science of forms.”

What are some words that use the combining form morpho-?

• morphogenesis
• morphometrics
• morphometry
• morphophoneme
• morphosyntax

What are some other forms that morpho– may be commonly confused with?

• multi-
• myria-

The combining form –metry means “the process of measuring.” With this in mind, what does morphometry literally mean?