Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Same as polymorphous.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Polymorphous.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective relating to polymorphism (any sense), able to have several shapes or forms

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective relating to the crystallization of a compound in two or more different forms
  • adjective having or occurring in several distinct forms
  • adjective relating to the occurrence of more than one kind of individual (independent of sexual differences) in an interbreeding population

Etymologies

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Examples

  • This equilibrium is known as polymorphic, by contrast with the monomorphic equilibria that arise when either of the alleles has gone to fixation.

    Population Genetics Okasha, Samir 2006

  • And this is known as a polymorphic virus or worm, in that each time it's transmitted, it comes in a different guise.

    CNN Transcript - Special Event: Attorney General Janet Reno Holds News Briefing on 'Newlove.vbs' Computer Virus - May 19, 2000 2000

  • The ABO gene is highly polymorphic, which is thought to be related to evolutionary changes for host-pathogen interactions, as many pathogens utilize surface glycoproteins in host invasion.

    PLoS ONE Alerts: New Articles 2009

  • Since butters are comprised of many different fatty acid chains, they are described as "polymorphic," which means that they have the ability to crystallize in several different forms according to how the liquid fat is solidified.

    Lipstick making - ingredients & melting Anne-Marie 2008

  • Elisa is doing a "polymorphic" dress with a caplet.

    Jane McGivney: Make It Work: The Knitwear of Despair 2008

  • It is kind of polymorphic behaviour because of multiple classes and events getting wired automatically.

    ASP.NET Forums vitich 2010

  • Other cybersecurity experts cite a growing threat from so-called "polymorphic" spyware that can change its digital signature to millions of different combinations to evade identification by anti-virus software.

    Christian Science Monitor | All Stories 2010

  • Because it could make this vision of a new computing platform real and because it allowed me to use the word "polymorphic" in a sentence,

    TechNewsWorld 2009

  • Because it could make this vision of a new computing platform real and because it allowed me to use the word "polymorphic" in a sentence,

    E-Commerce Times 2009

  • Because it could make this vision of a new computing platform real and because it allowed me to use the word "polymorphic" in a sentence,

    E-Commerce Times 2009

  • eading service. He and Shellen had been talking about the fact that a feed could be, well, anything. Wetherell kept using the word “polymorphic,” a common term in programming circles that refers to a single thing having many forms.

    Who killed Google Reader? 2023

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