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polymorphism definition

poly·mor·phism (päl′i môr′fiz′əm)

noun

  1. Chem., Mineralogy the property of certain substances of crystallizing in two or more different forms or systems
  2. Biol. the condition in which a species has two or more very different morphological forms, as the castes of social insects or the flowers of certain plants

Etymology: polymorph(ous) + -ism

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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