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

“The mosasaurs were still experimenting with new ways of feeding, new morphologies, new lifestyles just before that asteroid came down,” Longrich says.

From Science News

The morphology of the canine was so similar to a mega-size gray wolf that nobody thought to argue with what seemed like a sure thing.

From Popular-Science

Still, structure and function go hand-in-hand in biology, so it’s reasonable to expect one day neuroscientists will know how specific neuronal morphologies contribute to activity profiles.

From Nautilus

In one, rapid diversification in some aspect of body morphology produces a burst of new species at first, and then speciation slows as the available niches fill up.

From Quanta Magazine

Keefe recently published a paper in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society on the morphology of 89 species of frogs from every continent except Antarctica.

From Popular-Science

Recognition of the pneumococcus depends upon its morphology, the fact that it is Gram-staining, and the presence of a capsule.

From Project Gutenberg

Functional morphology of three bats: Sumops, Myotis, Macrotus.

From Project Gutenberg

Their influence reaches far beyond the proper sphere of phonetics and invades that of morphology, as we shall see.

From Project Gutenberg

Although it is as an anatomist that Nehemiah Grew is best known, his grasp of external morphology is perhaps even more remarkable.

From Project Gutenberg

We must recollect that the comparative morphology of the ovule (in the wide sense) was not attempted.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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