morphology

noun

mor·​phol·​o·​gy mȯr-ˈfä-lə-jē 

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

morphological

ˌmȯr-fə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

or less commonly morphologic

ˌmȯr-fə-ˈlä-jik 

morphologically

ˌmȯr-fə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

morphologist

mȯr-ˈfä-lə-jist 

noun

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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

For example, Andrew Grass, a geoscientist digging 30 feet away, has compared the teeth of extinct species of American horses from different periods within the pit, using them to build a temporal road map of changing tooth morphologies. —Michael Ray Taylor, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 May 2025

The two ancient groups appear to have significantly different bone morphology, especially in their fingers. —Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2025

These studies provide clues about the geometric principles that can generate dazzling morphologies, said Omaya Dudin (opens a new tab), an evolutionary cell biologist at the University of Geneva. —Carrie Arnold, Quanta Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025

Additional research on skull morphology was conducted by fellow graduate student Hoai-Nam Bui, further cementing the conclusion that the reptiles represent distinct evolutionary lineages. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

German Morphologie, from morph- + -logie -logy

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for morphology

• anthology
• apology
• astrology
• biology
• christology
• chronology
• conchology
• cosmology
• cryptology
• cytology
• doxology
• ecology

Kids Definition

morphology

noun

mor·​phol·​o·​gy mȯr-ˈfäl-ə-jē 

1

a

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

b

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

2

: the part of grammar dealing with word formation

3

: structure entry 1 sense 3, form

the morphology of rocks

morphological

ˌmȯr-fə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

adjective

Medical Definition

morphology

noun

mor·​phol·​o·​gy mȯr-ˈfäl-ə-jē 

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 sense 1 compare physiology sense 1

2

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