morphology

[ mawr-fol-uh-jee ]

noun

1. the branch of biology dealing with the form and structure of organisms.
2. the form and structure of an organism considered as a whole.
3. Linguistics.
   1. the patterns of word formation in a particular language, including inflection, derivation, and composition.
   2. the study and description of such patterns.
   3. the study of the behavior and combination of morphemes.
4. Physical Geography. geomorphology.
5. the form or structure of anything:

   to gain an insight into the morphology of our political system.

6. the study of the form or structure of anything.

morphology

/ mɔːˈfɒlədʒɪ; ˌmɔːfəˈlɒdʒɪk /

noun

1. the branch of biology concerned with the form and structure of organisms
2. the form and structure of words in a language, esp the consistent patterns of inflection, combination, derivation and change, etc, that may be observed and classified
3. the form and structure of anything

morphology

/ môr-fŏl′ə-jē /

1. The size, shape, and structure of an organism or one of its parts. Biologists usually describe the morphology of an organism separately from its physiology. In traditional systems of taxonomy, classifications were based on the morphological characteristics of organisms. However, a method of classification based purely on morphology runs the risk of grouping together organisms that are actually relatively unrelated but have evolved similar features. In more modern systems of taxonomy, the genetic similarity of organisms, studied through the methods of molecular biology, is considered in addition to morphology when establishing taxa.

morphology

1. The study of the structure of living things. ( Compare anatomy and physiology .)

Derived Forms

• ˌmorphoˈlogically, adverb
• morˈphologist, noun
• morphologic, adjective

Other Words From

• mor·pho·log·ic [mawr-f, uh, -, loj, -ik], morpho·logi·cal adjective
• morpho·logi·cal·ly adverb
• mor·pholo·gist noun
• unmor·pho·logi·cal adjective
• unmor·pho·logi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of morphology¹

First recorded in 1820–30; morpho- + -logy; first formed in German

Example Sentences

After careful evaluation of the extensive data, the results are now available: they provide detailed information on changes in the morphology and structure of the material, but also on chemical processes during discharge.

From Science Daily

Indeed, a crab-like body shape, or morphology, has evolved numerous times independently throughout evolutionary history.

From Salon

Perhaps they have similar distributions, genetics, or morphology -- we don't know yet, but this study is a key step to starting to understand this important evolutionary question.

From Science Daily

MBARI's Continental Margin Processes Team, led by Senior Scientist Charlie Paull, investigates how the morphology of the continental margin -- where the continental shelf transitions to the abyssal plain -- is sculpted and changed over time.

From Science Daily

Species also vary in how much they fight, and Green suspects there may be a correlation between behavior and morphology.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• architecture
• arrangement
• complex
• construction
• design
• format
• formation
• framework
• network
• organization
• system