metachrosis

/ ˌmɛtəˈkrəʊsɪs /

noun

1. zoology the ability of some animals, such as chameleons, to change their colour

Word History and Origins

Origin of metachrosis¹

C19: from meta- + Greek khrōs colour

Example Sentences

Metachrosis, met-a-krō′sis, n. colour-change, as of a chameleon.

From Project Gutenberg

The coloration in life is highly variable; much of the apparent variation is due to metachrosis, for individuals of Smilisca baudini are capable of undergoing drastic and rapid change in coloration.

From Project Gutenberg

The coloration in the living frogs is highly variable due to extreme metachrosis.

From Project Gutenberg

The most striking examples of metachrosis in Smilisca are found in the baudini group, in which the dorsal ground-color changes from green to tan; correlated with the change in ground-color may be a corresponding change in the dorsal markings, but the dorsal markings may change to the opposite color.

From Project Gutenberg

The degree of metachrosis is moderate.

From Project Gutenberg