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polymorph

[ pol-ee-mawrf ]

noun

  1. Biology. an organism having more than one form or type as a result of discontinuous variation.
  2. Crystallography. any of the crystal forms assumed by a substance that exhibits polymorphism.
  3. Anatomy. granulocyte.


polymorph

/ ˈpɒlɪˌmɔːf /

noun

  1. a species of animal or plant that exhibits polymorphism
  2. any of the crystalline forms of a chemical compound that exhibits polymorphism
  3. Also calledpolymorphonuclear leucocyte any of a group of white blood cells that have lobed nuclei and granular cytoplasm and function as phagocytes; they include neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils
“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
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Other Words From

  • pol·y·mor·phic [pol-ee-, mawr, -fik] adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of polymorph1

First recorded in 1820–30; from Greek polýmorphos; poly-, -morph
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Word History and Origins

Origin of polymorph1

C19: from Greek polumorphos having many forms
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Example Sentences

The other silica polymorph was quartz, which lay like a ring around the coesite.

As an example, production of the high-pressure spinel polymorph of Li2MoO4 was only previously achieved in a high temperature and high-pressure chamber under a pressure more than 10,000 times the pressure of Earth's atmosphere.

In the comics, Kamala gains polymorph and other enhanced abilities after being exposed to a special mist that awakened latent powers that are tied to a race of superpowered, human-ish aliens.

Now a polymorph, Kamala initially struggles to control her powers but soon gets the hang of it after saving one of her schoolmates during a moment of danger.

From Salon

A corollary of this idea is that if environmental conditions change, the relative abundance of each polymorph might change.

From Nature

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polymethyl methacrylatepolymorphic