morphology

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noun mor·phol·o·gy \ mȯr-ˈfä-lə-jē \

Definition of morphology

1 a :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

2 a :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.

3 a :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

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morphological

play \ˌmȯr-fə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\ or less commonly morphologic play \-ˈlä-jik\ adjective

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morphologically

play \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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morphologist

play \mȯr-ˈfä-lə-jist\ noun

See morphology defined for English-language learners

See morphology defined for kids

Recent Examples of morphology from the Web

And this wax, Serrulla, helped conserve the external morphology of the brains.

— julia jones, CNN, "Dozens of intact brains discovered in an 80-year-old mass grave," 14 July 2017
But what was depicted as a horror at the body and its fungible morphologies in much of the film auteur's work is in Tiley's a more playful turn.

— michael workman, chicagotribune.com, "'Material Eyes' video probes link between humans, robots at surgical science museum," 28 June 2017
Over time, Nabokov’s fixation on morphology and taxonomy—form and classification—shifted to, or perhaps turned out to have been all along, a fixation on history.

— elif batuman, The New Yorker, "Vladimir Nabokov, Butterfly Illustrator," 23 Mar. 2016
Over the past 30 years, Pace has led a generation of microbiologists who use gene sequences instead of morphology and behavior to identify and classify species.

— james shreeve, WIRED, "Craig Venter’s Epic Voyage to Redefine the Origin of the Species," 1 Aug. 2004

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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of morphology

German Morphologie, from morph- + -logie -logy

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First Known Use: 1828

See Words from the same year

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

MORPHOLOGY Defined for English Language Learners

morphology

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noun

Definition of morphology for English Language Learners

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

Medical Dictionary

morphology

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noun mor·phol·o·gy \ mȯr-ˈfäl-ə-jē \

medical Definition of morphology

plural morphologies

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 1 — compare physiology 1

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