polymorphism

[ pol-ee-mawr-fiz-uhm ]

noun

1. the state or condition of being polymorphous.
2. Crystallography. crystallization into two or more chemically identical but crystallographically distinct forms.
3. Biology. the existence of an organism in several form or color varieties as a result of discontinuous variation.
4. Genetics. the presence of two or more distinct phenotypes in a population due to the expression of different alleles of a given gene, as human blood groups O, A, B, and AB.

polymorphism

/ ˌpɒlɪˈmɔːfɪzəm /

noun

1. biology
   1. the occurrence of more than one form of individual in a single species within an interbreeding population
   2. the occurrence of more than one form in the individual polyps of a coelenterate colony
2. the existence or formation of different types of crystal of the same chemical compound

polymorphism

/ pŏl′ē-môr′fĭz′əm /

1. The occurrence of more than one form, as several alleles of a particular gene or winged and wingless forms of the same species. In bees, the presence of queen, worker, and drone is an example of polymorphism. Differences between the sexes and between breeds of domesticated animals are not considered examples of polymorphism.
2. The crystallization of a compound in at least two distinct forms. Diamond and graphite, for example, are polymorphs of the element carbon. They both consist entirely of carbon but have different crystal structures and different physical properties.

Other Words From

• poly·mor·phistic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of polymorphism¹

First recorded in 1830–40; polymorph + -ism

Example Sentences

BoNE allowed the team to establish the cause of the Yorkshire syndrome -- and pinpoint a specific single nucleotide polymorphism that is protective.

From Science Daily

"We would therefore expect these color variants -- so-called polymorphisms -- to be fixed somewhere in the female genome," says Wolf.

From Science Daily

The researchers analyzed genetic data from the 3 million 23andMe research participants, focusing on three specific little snippets of DNA known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs.

From Science Daily

The researchers found that the anemones' color variation, or polymorphism, is controlled by different versions of a single fluorescent protein gene.

From Science Daily

However, there have not been decisive links between feather colour polymorphism and different environments until now.

From Science Daily