morph

¹morph

noun \ˈmȯrf\

Definition of MORPH

1

a : allomorph b : a distinctive collocation of phones (as a portmanteau form) that serves as the realization of more than one morpheme in a context (as the French du for the sequence of de and le)

2

a : a local population of a species that consists of interbreeding organisms and is distinguishable from other populations by morphology or behavior though capable of interbreeding with them b : a phenotypic variant of a species

Origin of MORPH

back-formation from morpheme

First Known Use: 1947

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

Rhymes with MORPH

corf, dwarf