met ‧ a ‧ mor ‧ pho ‧ sis /ˌmetəˈmɔːfəsəs, ˌmetəˈmɔːfəsɪs $ -ˈmɔːr-/ BrE AmE noun ( plural metamorphoses /-siːz/) [uncountable and countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: Greek , from meta- ( ⇨ ↑ meta- ) + morphe 'shape' ]
1 . formal a process in which something changes completely into something very different SYN transformation :
It took me some time to undergo the metamorphosis from teacher to lecturer.
the metamorphosis of China under Deng’s economic reforms
2 . a process in which a young insect, ↑ frog etc changes into another stage in its development:
Beetles undergo a complete metamorphosis in their life cycle.