morph

See also: -morph

English

Back-formation from morpheme.

morph (plural morphs)

(grammar, linguistics) A physical form representing some morpheme in language. It is a recurrent distinctive sound or sequence of sounds.
(linguistics) An allomorph: one of a set of realizations that a morpheme can have in different contexts.
(biology) Local variety of a species, distinguishable from other populations of the species by morphology or behaviour.
A computer-generated gradual change from one image to another.

physical form representing morpheme

allomorph — see allomorph

biology: local variety

Clipping of metamorphose.

morph (third-person singular simple present morphs, present participle morphing, simple past and past participle morphed)

(colloquial, transitive, intransitive) To change shape, from one form to another, through computer animation.
(of fantastic beings in science fiction or fantasy) To shapeshift.
- 1993, Peter David, The Siege:
  Meta leapt forward. In midair his lower half morphed, and suddenly he was one-half humanoid, one-half coiled spring.
To undergo dramatic change in a seamless and barely noticeable fashion.
- 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, "Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders," New York Times (retrieved 21 June 2013):
  By the time politicians in several cities backed down on Tuesday and announced that they would cut or consider reducing fares, the demonstrations had already morphed into a more sweeping social protest, with marchers waving banners carrying slogans like “The people have awakened.”

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