— morphologic /mawr'feuh loj"ik/ , morphological , adj. — morphologically , adv. — morphologist , n.
/mawr fol"euh jee/ , n.
1. the branch of biology dealing with the form and structure of organisms.
2. the form and structure of an organism considered as a whole.
3. Ling.
a. the patterns of word formation in a particular language, including inflection, derivation, and composition.
b. the study and description of such patterns.
c. the study of the behavior and combination of morphemes.
4. Physical Geog. geomorphology.
5. the form or structure of anything: to gain an insight into the morphology of our political system.
6. the study of the form or structure of anything.
[ 1820-30; MORPHO- + -LOGY; first formed in G ]