morphology Hear it!

morphology definition

mor·phol·ogy (môr fäl′ə jē)

noun

  1. the branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of animals and plants
    1. the branch of linguistics that deals with word structure and with functional changes in the forms of words, such as inflection and compounding
    2. the study of the structure, classification, and relationships of morphemes
  3. any scientific study of form and structure, as in physical geography
  4. form and structure, as of an organism, regarded as a whole

Etymology: Ger morphologie, coined (1822) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe < Gr morphē, form + Ger -logie, -logy

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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