-morphic

1. variant of -morphous:

   anthropomorphic.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -morphic¹

-morph + -ic

Example Sentences

A specimen of Papilio turnus, di-morphic form, Glaucus, alighted near me; I marked its flight with scientific indifference.

From Project Gutenberg

The zoo-morphic or theriomorphic mythologies and creeds are nowhere more vivacious than in America.

From Project Gutenberg

The pyroxene is morphic, yellow or green, and is surrounded by formless areas of nepheline.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -morphic

What does -morphic mean?

The combining form –morphic is used like a suffix meaning “having the shape, form, or structure.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

The form –morphic comes from a combination of two forms. The first is –morph, from Greek –morphos, meaning “shape.” The second is the suffix –ic, from Greek –ikos or Latin –icus, both meaning “having some characteristics of.”

What are variants of –morphic?

In some terms, the form –morphic becomes –morphous, as in polymorphous. Additional related combining forms include morph–, morpho–, and –morphism. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on all four combining forms.

Examples of -morphic

An example of a scientific term you may have encountered that features –morphic is metamorphic, “pertaining to or characterized by change of form, or metamorphosis.”

The combining form meta–, from Greek, has a variety of meanings, including “beyond.” The form –morphic means “having the shape, form, or structure.” Metamorphic therefore roughly means “beyond a shape, form, or structure.”

What are some words that use the combining form –morphic?

• anisomorphic
• automorphic
• dimorphic
• idiomorphic (using the equivalent form of –morphic in Greek)
• xenomorphic
• zoomorphic

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

• -mony
• -most
• -mycin

Break it down!

The combining form zoo– means “animal.” With this in mind, what does zoomorphic mean?