polymorph

American  

[pol-ee-mawrf] / ˈpɒl iˌmɔrf /

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.

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polymorph British  

/ 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 called: polymorphonuclear 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

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Other Word Forms

• polymorphic adjective

Etymology

Origin of polymorph

First recorded in 1820–30; from Greek polýmorphos; poly-, -morph