POLYMORPHISM
Dictionary entry overview: What does polymorphism mean?
• POLYMORPHISM (noun)
The noun POLYMORPHISM has 2 senses:
1. (chemistry) the existence of different kinds of crystal of the same chemical compound
2. (biology) the existence of two or more forms of individuals within the same animal species (independent of sex differences)
Familiarity information: POLYMORPHISM used as a noun is rare.
Dictionary entry details
• POLYMORPHISM (noun)
Meaning:
(chemistry) the existence of different kinds of crystal of the same chemical compound
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Synonyms:
pleomorphism; polymorphism
Hypernyms ("polymorphism" is a kind of...):
chemical phenomenon (any natural phenomenon involving chemistry (as changes to atoms or molecules))
Domain category:
chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "polymorphism"):
dimorphism ((chemistry) the property of certain substances that enables them to exist in two distinct crystalline forms)
Meaning:
(biology) the existence of two or more forms of individuals within the same animal species (independent of sex differences)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Hypernyms ("polymorphism" is a kind of...):
organic phenomenon ((biology) a natural phenomenon involving living plants and animals)
Domain category:
biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "polymorphism"):
dimorphism ((biology) the existence of two forms of individual within the same animal species (independent of sex differences))
