I. ˈmȯ(ə)rf, ˈmȯ(ə)f noun
( -s )
Etymology: back-formation from morpheme
1. : allomorph II
2. : a phoneme or sequence of phonemes that is presumably an allomorph but that is not considered as assigned to any particular morpheme
the slep- slep of slept is considered a morph by a linguist analyzing English who has not yet encountered the sleep slēp of sleep well
— compare allomorph , morpheme II 2
II. abbreviation
morphological; morphology
I. ˈmȯ(ə)rf, ˈmȯ(ə)f noun
( -s )
Etymology: Greek morphē form — more at form
1. : a local population of a species that consists of interbreeding organisms and is distinguishable from other populations by morphology or behavior though capable of interbreeding with them
2. : a phenotypic variant of a species
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: short for metamorphose
intransitive verb
1. : to undergo transformation from an image of one object into that of another especially by means of computer-generated animation
2. : to undergo transformation
transitive verb
: to change the form or character of : transform