morphology

[ mawr-fol-uh-jee ]
/ mɔrˈfɒl ə dʒi /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR morphology ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the branch of biology dealing with the form and structure of organisms.
the form and structure of an organism considered as a whole.
Linguistics.
  1. the patterns of word formation in a particular language, including inflection, derivation, and composition.
  2. the study and description of such patterns.
  3. the study of the behavior and combination of morphemes.
Physical Geography. geomorphology.
the form or structure of anything: to gain an insight into the morphology of our political system.
the study of the form or structure of anything.

Origin of morphology

1820–30; morpho- + -logy; first formed in German

OTHER WORDS FROM morphology

Words nearby morphology

morphogenetic movement, morphol., morpholine, morpholino, morphologic construction, morphology, morphometrics, morphometry, morphonology, morphophoneme, morphophonemic

Words related to morphology

network, format, system, arrangement, framework, complex, design, architecture, organization, formation, construction, alphabet, syntax, fabric, make, conformation, texture, fabrication, anatomy, build

Example sentences from the Web for morphology

British Dictionary definitions for morphology

morphology
/ (mɔːˈfɒlədʒɪ) /

noun

the branch of biology concerned with the form and structure of organisms
the form and structure of words in a language, esp the consistent patterns of inflection, combination, derivation and change, etc, that may be observed and classified
the form and structure of anything

Derived forms of morphology

morphologic (ˌmɔːfəˈlɒdʒɪk) or morphological, adjective morphologically, adverb morphologist, noun

Medical definitions for morphology

morphology
[ môr-fŏl′ə-jē ]

n.

The branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of organisms without consideration of function.
The form and structure of an organism or one of its parts.

Other words from morphology

mor′pho•log′i•cal (-fə-lŏj′ĭ-kəl) null adj. mor•phol′o•gist n.

Scientific definitions for morphology

morphology
[ môr-fŏl′ə-jē ]

The size, shape, and structure of an organism or one of its parts. Biologists usually describe the morphology of an organism separately from its physiology. In traditional systems of taxonomy, classifications were based on the morphological characteristics of organisms. However, a method of classification based purely on morphology runs the risk of grouping together organisms that are actually relatively unrelated but have evolved similar features. In more modern systems of taxonomy, the genetic similarity of organisms, studied through the methods of molecular biology, is considered in addition to morphology when establishing taxa.

Cultural definitions for morphology

morphology
[ (mawr-fol-uh-jee) ]

The study of the structure of living things. (Compare anatomy and physiology.)