MORPHOLOGY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does morphology mean? 

• MORPHOLOGY (noun)
  The noun MORPHOLOGY has 4 senses:

1. the branch of biology that deals with the structure of animals and plants

2. studies of the rules for forming admissible words

3. the admissible arrangement of sounds in words

4. the branch of geology that studies the characteristics and configuration and evolution of rocks and land forms

  Familiarity information: MORPHOLOGY used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MORPHOLOGY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The branch of biology that deals with the structure of animals and plants

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("morphology" is a kind of...):

biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "morphology"):

anatomy; general anatomy (the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals)

Derivation:

morphologic; morphological (relating to or concerned with the morphology of plants and animals)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Studies of the rules for forming admissible words

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("morphology" is a kind of...):

grammar (the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "morphology"):

accidence; inflectional morphology (the part of grammar that deals with the inflections of words)

derivational morphology (the part of grammar that deals with the derivations of words)

compound morphology (the part of grammar that deals with combinations of simple words into compound words)

Derivation:

morphologic; morphological (relating to or concerned with the formation of admissible words in a language)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The admissible arrangement of sounds in words

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

morphology; sound structure; syllable structure; word structure

Hypernyms ("morphology" is a kind of...):

structure (the complex composition of knowledge as elements and their combinations)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "morphology"):

affixation (the result of adding an affix to a root word)

Derivation:

morphologic (relating to or concerned with the formation of admissible words in a language)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The branch of geology that studies the characteristics and configuration and evolution of rocks and land forms

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

geomorphology; morphology

Hypernyms ("morphology" is a kind of...):

geophysical science; geophysics (geology that uses physical principles to study properties of the earth)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "morphology"):

plate tectonic theory; plate tectonics; tectonics (the branch of geology studying the folding and faulting of the earth's crust)

lithology; petrology (the branch of geology that studies rocks: their origin and formation and mineral composition and classification)

Derivation:

morphologic; morphological (pertaining to geological structure)

 Context examples 

An electrocardiographic finding of a ventricular tachycardia in which the QRS complexes have a uniform morphology.

(Monomorphic Ventricular Tachycardia by ECG Finding, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

Comment: including mature B-cell lymphomas with lymphoblastic morphology

(Burkitt-like Lymphoma of the Mouse Hematologic System, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)

The first of these is often preceded by simple and papillary hyperplasia and exhibits a tumour morphology that is low-grade, superficial and papillary.

(Bladder Cancer Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

This protein is involved in ephrin-B binding, neuronal morphology and tyrosine phosphorylation.

(Ephrin Type-B Receptor 2, NCI Thesaurus)

An electrocardiographic finding of premature ventricular complexes which have two or more distinct morphologies, suggesting origin at more than one ventricular site.

(Multifocal Ventricular Premature Complex by ECG Finding, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

The Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway regulates cell morphology, motility, and proliferation; aberrant regulation of this pathway leads to neoplastic proliferation.

(CBP/beta-catenin Antagonist PRI-724, NCI Thesaurus)

Cellular morphology is the form and structure of cells, and its relation to cell function, or the scientific study thereof.

(Cellular Morphology, NCI Thesaurus)

The QRS complexes are wide and have an abnormal morphology.

(Ectopic Ventricular Rhythm by ECG Finding, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

This protein plays a role in neuronal morphology, cell-cell signaling, tyrosine phosphorylation and the regulation of GTPase activity.

(Ephrin Type-A Receptor 4, NCI Thesaurus)

These lymphomas have a centroblastic, immunoblastic, or anaplastic morphology.

(Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Not Otherwise Specified, NCI Thesaurus)