morphology

noun

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mor·phol·o·gy | \ mȯr-ˈfä-lə-jē

Definition of morphology

1a : a branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of animals and plants

b : the form and structure of an organism or any of its parts amphibian morphology external and internal eye morphology

2a : a study and description of word formation (such as inflection, derivation, and compounding) in language

b : the system of word-forming elements and processes in a language According to English morphology, the third person singular present tense of a verb is formed by adding -s.

3a : a study of structure or form

b : structure, form the unique morphology of the city— H. J. Nelson

4 : the external structure of rocks in relation to the development of erosional forms or topographic features

Other Words from morphology What is morphology? Example Sentences Learn More about morphology

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Other Words from morphology

morphological \ ˌmȯr-fə-ˈlä-ji-kəl

\ or less commonly morphologic \ ˌmȯr-fə-ˈlä-jik

\ adjective

morphologically \ ˌmȯr-fə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb

morphologist \ mȯr-ˈfä-lə-jist

\ noun

What is morphology?

Within the field of biology, morphology is the study of the shapes and arrangement of parts of organisms, in order to determine their function, their development, and how they may have been shaped by evolution. Morphology is particularly important in classifying species, since it can often reveal how closely one species is related to another. Morphology is studied within other sciences as well, including astronomy and geology. And in language, morphology considers where words come from and why they look the way they do.

Examples of morphology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the missing morphology is in fact a problem, says Terrence Gosliner, senior curator of invertebrate zoology at the California Academy of Sciences, who wasn’t involved in the work. — Matt Simon, Wired, "Is This a Fossilized Lair of the Dreaded Bobbit Worm?," 21 Jan. 2021 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. — Sara Kiley Watson, Popular Science, "Dire wolves are actually ice age mega-foxes," 21 Jan. 2021 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. — Quanta Magazine, "New Fish Data Reveal How Evolutionary Bursts Create Species," 1 Dec. 2020 That demand is being addressed by careful engineering of the composition, structure and morphology of existing catalysts, such as titanium dioxide. — Javier Garcia Martinez, Scientific American, "Sun-Powered Chemistry Can Turn Carbon Dioxide into Common Materials," 10 Nov. 2020 Experts are still looking to learn more about the species, including its conservation status, life history and their genital morphology. — Alaa Elassar, CNN, "Scientists have rediscovered a chameleon in Madagascar last seen 100 years ago," 1 Nov. 2020 Studies of their bones have yielded information about Neanderthal morphology. — Adrian Woolfson, WSJ, "‘Kindred’ Review: Our Neanderthal Cousins," 2 Oct. 2020 Keeffe 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. — Sara Kiley Watson, Popular Science, "These buff frogs never skip arm day," 25 Sep. 2020 According to Alonso, the researchers did not make an unequivocal distinction between the morphology of the new species and that of P. tserensodnomi, which is found in Mongolia, and P. spinosa, which is found elsewhere in Iran. — Sabrina Imbler New York Times, Star Tribune, "In the world's hottest desert, shrimp endure," 24 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'morphology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near morphology

morphography

morpholide

morphological construction

Statistics for morphology

Last Updated

24 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Morphology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morphology. Accessed 2 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for morphology

morphology

noun

English Language Learners Definition of morphology

linguistics : the study and description of how words are formed in language

: the study of the form and structure of animals and plants

: the form and structure of a plant or animal or any of its parts

See the full definition for morphology in the English Language Learners Dictionary

morphology

noun

mor·phol·o·gy | \ mȯr-ˈfäl-ə-jē

plural morphologies

Medical Definition of morphology

1 : a branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of animals and plants especially with respect to the forms, relations, metamorphoses, and phylogenetic development of organs apart from their functions — see anatomy sense 1 — compare physiology sense 1

2 : the form and structure of an organism or any of its parts

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