释义 |
morphology /mɔːˈfɒlədʒi /noun (plural morphologies)1 [mass noun] The study of the forms of things, in particular: 1.1The branch of biology that deals with the form of living organisms, and with relationships between their structures.Analysis of covariance revealed some relationships between subspecies morphology / growth habit and local environmental conditions....- Organisms were identified by morphology and biochemical reactions.
- Gross changes in chromosome morphology occur at each mitosis.
1.2 Linguistics The study of the forms of words, in particular inflected forms: grammar is organized along two main dimensions: morphology and syntax a generative approach to Italian morphology...- Dialect encompasses various aspects of the language - syntax, morphology, lexicon, phonology.
- In some circumstances, languages borrow morphology as well as vocabulary.
- French has inflectional morphology to indicate plurality, person, number, and tense, so inflection is not a foreign concept.
2A particular form, shape, or structure.Further, individual follicles produce feathers of different morphologies over the course of their life....- Second, most morphologies related to strictly marginal growth are now associated only with ferns.
- The general geometric morphologies of elements from the two populations are also very similar.
Derivativesmorphologist /mɔːˈfɒlədʒɪst / noun ...- Functional morphologists often investigate the functional consequences of key evolutionary adaptations, while developmental biologists investigate the mechanisms generating morphological features.
- Early morphologists, such as Cuvier, felt that function was predictable from organismal form, to the extent that animals and plants represented perfect adaptations to their habits.
- Functional morphologists are not only interested in the way that morphological complexes function, they are deeply concerned with how such anatomical features have evolved over time.
OriginMid 19th century: from Greek morphē 'form' + -logy. |