n.
Pronunciation: mo ̇ r- ' fä-l ə -j ē
Function: noun
Etymology: German Morphologie, from morph- + -logie -logy
Date: 1830
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
2 a : a study and description of word formation (as inflection, derivation, and compounding) in language b : the system of word-forming elements and processes in a language
3 a : a study of structure or form b : STRUCTURE , FORM
4 : the external structure of rocks in relation to the development of erosional forms or topographic features
– mor · pho · log · i · cal \ ˌ mo ̇ r-f ə - ' lä-ji-k ə l \ also mor · pho · log · ic \ - ' lä-jik \ adjective
– mor · pho · log · i · cal · ly \ -k( ə -)l ē \ adverb
– mor · phol · o · gist \ mo ̇ r- ' fä-l ə -jist \ noun