morphology

noun

mor·​phol·​o·​gy mȯr-ˈfä-lə-jē 

1

a

: a branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of animals and plants

b

: the form and structure of an organism or any of its parts

amphibian morphology

external and internal eye morphology

2

a

: a study and description of word formation (such as inflection, derivation, and compounding) in language

b

: the system of word-forming elements and processes in a language

According to English morphology, the third person singular present tense of a verb is formed by adding -s.

3

a

: a study of structure or form

b

: structure, form

the unique morphology of the city

—H. J. Nelson

4

: the external structure of rocks in relation to the development of erosional forms or topographic features

morphological

ˌmȯr-fə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

or less commonly morphologic

ˌmȯr-fə-ˈlä-jik 

morphologically

ˌmȯr-fə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

morphologist

mȯr-ˈfä-lə-jist 

noun

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What is morphology?

Within the field of biology, morphology is the study of the shapes and arrangement of parts of organisms, in order to determine their function, their development, and how they may have been shaped by evolution. Morphology is particularly important in classifying species, since it can often reveal how closely one species is related to another. Morphology is studied within other sciences as well, including astronomy and geology. And in language, morphology considers where words come from and why they look the way they do.

Examples of morphology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The feathers on chickens, as well as their lightweight skeletal structure and beak morphology, can all be traced back to adaptations first seen in their dinosaurian ancestors. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024

The shape of its body and bones (what scientists call morphology)? —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Dec. 2024

Additionally, researchers have seen quite a bit of overlap in the portions of the genome that impact facial morphology and those that influence brain morphology. —Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 1 Oct. 2024

This lungfish’s unique and relatively unchanged morphology over millions of years offer valuable insights into early vertebrate evolution. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

German Morphologie, from morph- + -logie -logy

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

morphology

noun

mor·​phol·​o·​gy mȯr-ˈfäl-ə-jē 

1

a

: a branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of animals and plants

b

: the form and structure of a plant or animal or any of its parts

2

: the part of grammar dealing with word formation

3

: structure entry 1 sense 3, form

the morphology of rocks

morphological

ˌmȯr-fə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

adjective

Medical Definition

morphology

noun

mor·​phol·​o·​gy mȯr-ˈfäl-ə-jē 

plural morphologies

1

: a branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of animals and plants especially with respect to the forms, relations, metamorphoses, and phylogenetic development of organs apart from their functions see anatomy sense 1 compare physiology sense 1

2

: the form and structure of an organism or any of its parts