amorphousadj.

Brit.

/əˈmɔːfəs/, U.S.

/əˈmɔrfəs/,

/eɪˈmɔrfəs/

Origin: A borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element. Etymons: Latin amorphus , -ous suffix.

Etymology: < post-classical Latin amorphus shapeless (1546 or earlier; < ancient Greek ἄμορϕος shapeless < ἀ- a- prefix⁶ + μορϕή form: see -morph comb. form) + -ous suffix. Compare earlier amorphy n.Compare French amorphe (1784, earliest in mineralogy; compare sense 2).

a. Having no definite shape or form, shapeless; unshaped. Also: irregularly shaped, misshapen.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > lack of shape > [adjective]

huelessa1100

shapelessa1400

globose?a1425

deformed1555

fashionless1581

disformed1591

formless1591

unshapeful1598

figureless1606

informous1610

proportionless1625

unbodied1630

unshapable1630

misshapen1640

unshapeless1640

difform1644

inform1654

difformed1665

amorphous1727

amorphic1856

1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II Amorphous, without Form or Shape.

1793 G. Shaw Vivarium Naturæ, or Naturalist’s Misc. IV. Pl. 146 The different species of Sponge differ greatly in appearance from each other: some being amorphous, or of no regular shape, as the common or officinal sponge.

1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus iii. xii. 105/1 The enormous, amorphous Plumpudding, more like a Scottish Haggis.

1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xlix. 465 The berg ahead..is an amorphous mass, so worn that it must have been sorely wrought before its release from the glacier.

1931 Times 12 June 12/6 (advt.) Tailored to slim even the most amorphous.

1956 W. H. Bostick in Physical Rev. 114 292/1 The plasma is emitted not as an amorphous blob, but in the form of a torus.

1990 Jrnl. Zool. 222 602 After these spiders stop feeding, all that remains of their prey is an amorphous mass of crushed exoskeleton.

1998 Burlington (Vermont) Free Press 15 Dec. c2/1 The dress on the gingerbread woman makes her look, well, a little lumpy, a little amorphous.

b. Without reference to shape: having no definite character or nature; of a shifting or changing nature; lacking organization, order, or unity.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or extraordinary > [adjective] > belonging to no type or pattern

unlikec1450

sui generis1615

amorphous1804

the world > relative properties > order > disorder > irregularity > [adjective] > not organized

inorganized1649

unorganized1653

amorphous1804

disorganized1812

structureless1823

inorganic1843

fouled-up1942

1804 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 94 38 This kind of attraction, in its action upon the molecules under its influence, is either regular, irregular, or amorphous.

1876 J. R. Lowell Among my Bks. 2nd Ser. 203 That quality in a man which..gives classic shape to our own amorphous imaginings.

1893 Classical Rev. 7 327 The last portion of the volume is a somewhat amorphous collection of papers.

1976 Toronto Star 27 Nov. b5/6 ‘We were an amorphous group of Red Tories, Socialists and Liberals who came together for a while,’ Dorothy Thomas said.

2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 9 Jan. viii. 11/4 He was describing Ford's vision of a ‘people mover’, a suddenly popular term for an amorphous concept.

2. Mineralogy and Chemistry. Of a solid substance: not exhibiting a crystalline structure, non-crystalline.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > minerals > mineral structure or appearance > [adjective] > crystalline > not crystalline

amorphous1784

uncrystalled1794

massive1796

uncrystalline1845

1784 R. Kirwan Elements Mineral. 32 Sometimes opake, sometimes pellucid, sometimes regularly chrystalized, and sometimes amorphous.

1855 W. R. Grove On Correlation Physical Forces (ed. 3) 98 An opaque amorphous state, as graphite or charcoal.

1870 J. Tyndall Heat (ed. 4) xiii. §639 A fragment of almost black amorphous phosphorus.

1933 Science 12 May 451 Under the microscope the spicules are seen to be composed of amorphous silica, with considerable amounts of crystalline silica.

2010 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 8 Apr. b3/6 In a phase-change memory, heat is used to shift a glassy material from an amorphous to a crystalline state and back.

3. Geology. Of a body of rock, clay, etc.: occurring in a continuous mass, without stratification, cleavage, or other division; (also) of or relating to such a mass.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > [adjective] > amorphous or unbedded

amorphous1806

amorphose1808

unbedded1842

1806 Edinb. Rev. Oct. 68 The plan of M. Duhamel's chart is..is intended to exhibit, at a glance, the names of the known mines, their geographical situation, their stratiform or amorphous distribution, their direction and inclination.

1830 C. Lyell Princ. Geol. I. 346 An amorphous mass passing downwards into lava, irregularly prismatic.

1853 J. Phillips Rivers, Mountains, & Sea-coast Yorks. iv. 124 These perishing cliffs show at the bottom the amorphous boulder-clay.

2014 H. Nicholls Galapagos i. 11 Darwin guessed that the amorphous mass of rock once filled the central hollow of a cone, the sloping walls of which have long since worn away.

4. Biology. Of a biological substance or structure: not having a clearly defined structure or organization; not containing recognizable structures.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > [adjective] > of no regular form

amorphous1845

the world > life > biology > organism > [adjective] > aplastic

amorphous1845

1845 G. Budd On Dis. Liver 207 A particle from the softened portion of the liver, showing an irregular aggregation of oil-globules, particles of solid biliary matter, and amorphous granular matter.

1868 E. P. Wright Ocean World iv. 74 The substance of which the bodies of the Protozoa are composed is habitually destitute of cellular structure. Their bodies are formed of a sort of animated jelly, amorphous and diaphanous.

1877 F. T. Roberts Handbk. Med. (ed. 3) I. 51 Coagulated fibrin, either amorphous or fibrillated.

1948 Biochem. Jrnl. 42 205/2 Stained smears of such homogenates consisted merely of amorphous material quite unrecognizable as belonging to the organ in question.

2012 A. Smirnov in M. Schaechter Eukaryotic Microbes xiv. 202/1 The cell coat differs between genera; it can be amorphous (Thecamoeba, Parvamoeba, and Stenamoeba), or have an extra structured layer.., a thick ‘cuticle’.., or it can be filamentous.

5. Of a group of people or things: perceived or treated as an undifferentiated mass; homogeneous, uniform.

ΚΠ

1970 Washington Post 5 July d4/1 They are demanding the right to full citizenship as what they are, surrendering identity only as they choose rather than submerging themselves in an amorphous mass called Americans.

1993 A. Versluis Amer. Transcendentalism & Asian Relig. vii. 208 In regard to the assertion that all religions are losing their character and merging into an amorphous blob, once again it is doubtful that Emerson or Thoreau would have concurred.

2007 Times Lit. Suppl. 27 July 23/4 The post-war years were not kind to them either as an amorphous group or as individuals.

Derivatives

aˈmorphously adv. without a definite structure, shape, or form; so as to be or appear amorphous.

ΚΠ

1798 G. Mitchell tr. D. L. G. Karsten Descr. Minerals in Leskean Mus. I. 227 Vitreous Silver Ore crystallized in similar Pyramids, amorphously accumulated.

1900 H. G. Wells Love & Mr. Lewisham iii. 27 He jumped out of bed at once and alighted upon his best trousers amorphously dropped on the floor instead of methodically cast over a chair.

1988 N.Y. Times 30 Sept. c21/1 This little street—named for James Duane, New York's first mayor after the Revolution—never strays far from the amorphously defined financial district.

2018 Daily Nation (Kenya) (Nexis) 6 Feb. Criminal gangs operate amorphously and nobody knows their leaders.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2019; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

单词	amorphous
释义	amorphousadj. Brit. /əˈmɔːfəs/, U.S. /əˈmɔrfəs/, /eɪˈmɔrfəs/ Origin: A borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element. Etymons: Latin amorphus , -ous suffix. Etymology: < post-classical Latin amorphus shapeless (1546 or earlier; < ancient Greek ἄμορϕος shapeless < ἀ- a- prefix⁶ + μορϕή form: see -morph comb. form) + -ous suffix. Compare earlier amorphy n.Compare French amorphe (1784, earliest in mineralogy; compare sense 2). 1. a. Having no definite shape or form, shapeless; unshaped. Also: irregularly shaped, misshapen. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > lack of shape > [adjective] huelessa1100 shapelessa1400 globose?a1425 deformed1555 fashionless1581 disformed1591 formless1591 unshapeful1598 figureless1606 informous1610 proportionless1625 unbodied1630 unshapable1630 misshapen1640 unshapeless1640 difform1644 inform1654 difformed1665 amorphous1727 amorphic1856 1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II Amorphous, without Form or Shape. 1793 G. Shaw Vivarium Naturæ, or Naturalist’s Misc. IV. Pl. 146 The different species of Sponge differ greatly in appearance from each other: some being amorphous, or of no regular shape, as the common or officinal sponge. 1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus iii. xii. 105/1 The enormous, amorphous Plumpudding, more like a Scottish Haggis. 1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xlix. 465 The berg ahead..is an amorphous mass, so worn that it must have been sorely wrought before its release from the glacier. 1931 Times 12 June 12/6 (advt.) Tailored to slim even the most amorphous. 1956 W. H. Bostick in Physical Rev. 114 292/1 The plasma is emitted not as an amorphous blob, but in the form of a torus. 1990 Jrnl. Zool. 222 602 After these spiders stop feeding, all that remains of their prey is an amorphous mass of crushed exoskeleton. 1998 Burlington (Vermont) Free Press 15 Dec. c2/1 The dress on the gingerbread woman makes her look, well, a little lumpy, a little amorphous. b. Without reference to shape: having no definite character or nature; of a shifting or changing nature; lacking organization, order, or unity. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or extraordinary > [adjective] > belonging to no type or pattern unlikec1450 sui generis1615 amorphous1804 the world > relative properties > order > disorder > irregularity > [adjective] > not organized inorganized1649 unorganized1653 amorphous1804 disorganized1812 structureless1823 inorganic1843 fouled-up1942 1804 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 94 38 This kind of attraction, in its action upon the molecules under its influence, is either regular, irregular, or amorphous. 1876 J. R. Lowell Among my Bks. 2nd Ser. 203 That quality in a man which..gives classic shape to our own amorphous imaginings. 1893 Classical Rev. 7 327 The last portion of the volume is a somewhat amorphous collection of papers. 1976 Toronto Star 27 Nov. b5/6 ‘We were an amorphous group of Red Tories, Socialists and Liberals who came together for a while,’ Dorothy Thomas said. 2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 9 Jan. viii. 11/4 He was describing Ford's vision of a ‘people mover’, a suddenly popular term for an amorphous concept. 2. Mineralogy and Chemistry. Of a solid substance: not exhibiting a crystalline structure, non-crystalline. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > minerals > mineral structure or appearance > [adjective] > crystalline > not crystalline amorphous1784 uncrystalled1794 massive1796 uncrystalline1845 1784 R. Kirwan Elements Mineral. 32 Sometimes opake, sometimes pellucid, sometimes regularly chrystalized, and sometimes amorphous. 1855 W. R. Grove On Correlation Physical Forces (ed. 3) 98 An opaque amorphous state, as graphite or charcoal. 1870 J. Tyndall Heat (ed. 4) xiii. §639 A fragment of almost black amorphous phosphorus. 1933 Science 12 May 451 Under the microscope the spicules are seen to be composed of amorphous silica, with considerable amounts of crystalline silica. 2010 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 8 Apr. b3/6 In a phase-change memory, heat is used to shift a glassy material from an amorphous to a crystalline state and back. 3. Geology. Of a body of rock, clay, etc.: occurring in a continuous mass, without stratification, cleavage, or other division; (also) of or relating to such a mass. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > [adjective] > amorphous or unbedded amorphous1806 amorphose1808 unbedded1842 1806 Edinb. Rev. Oct. 68 The plan of M. Duhamel's chart is..is intended to exhibit, at a glance, the names of the known mines, their geographical situation, their stratiform or amorphous distribution, their direction and inclination. 1830 C. Lyell Princ. Geol. I. 346 An amorphous mass passing downwards into lava, irregularly prismatic. 1853 J. Phillips Rivers, Mountains, & Sea-coast Yorks. iv. 124 These perishing cliffs show at the bottom the amorphous boulder-clay. 2014 H. Nicholls Galapagos i. 11 Darwin guessed that the amorphous mass of rock once filled the central hollow of a cone, the sloping walls of which have long since worn away. 4. Biology. Of a biological substance or structure: not having a clearly defined structure or organization; not containing recognizable structures. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > [adjective] > of no regular form amorphous1845 the world > life > biology > organism > [adjective] > aplastic amorphous1845 1845 G. Budd On Dis. Liver 207 A particle from the softened portion of the liver, showing an irregular aggregation of oil-globules, particles of solid biliary matter, and amorphous granular matter. 1868 E. P. Wright Ocean World iv. 74 The substance of which the bodies of the Protozoa are composed is habitually destitute of cellular structure. Their bodies are formed of a sort of animated jelly, amorphous and diaphanous. 1877 F. T. Roberts Handbk. Med. (ed. 3) I. 51 Coagulated fibrin, either amorphous or fibrillated. 1948 Biochem. Jrnl. 42 205/2 Stained smears of such homogenates consisted merely of amorphous material quite unrecognizable as belonging to the organ in question. 2012 A. Smirnov in M. Schaechter Eukaryotic Microbes xiv. 202/1 The cell coat differs between genera; it can be amorphous (Thecamoeba, Parvamoeba, and Stenamoeba), or have an extra structured layer.., a thick ‘cuticle’.., or it can be filamentous. 5. Of a group of people or things: perceived or treated as an undifferentiated mass; homogeneous, uniform. ΚΠ 1970 Washington Post 5 July d4/1 They are demanding the right to full citizenship as what they are, surrendering identity only as they choose rather than submerging themselves in an amorphous mass called Americans. 1993 A. Versluis Amer. Transcendentalism & Asian Relig. vii. 208 In regard to the assertion that all religions are losing their character and merging into an amorphous blob, once again it is doubtful that Emerson or Thoreau would have concurred. 2007 Times Lit. Suppl. 27 July 23/4 The post-war years were not kind to them either as an amorphous group or as individuals. Derivatives aˈmorphously adv. without a definite structure, shape, or form; so as to be or appear amorphous. ΚΠ 1798 G. Mitchell tr. D. L. G. Karsten Descr. Minerals in Leskean Mus. I. 227 Vitreous Silver Ore crystallized in similar Pyramids, amorphously accumulated. 1900 H. G. Wells Love & Mr. Lewisham iii. 27 He jumped out of bed at once and alighted upon his best trousers amorphously dropped on the floor instead of methodically cast over a chair. 1988 N.Y. Times 30 Sept. c21/1 This little street—named for James Duane, New York's first mayor after the Revolution—never strays far from the amorphously defined financial district. 2018 Daily Nation (Kenya) (Nexis) 6 Feb. Criminal gangs operate amorphously and nobody knows their leaders. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2019; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < adj.1727
随便看	misencourage misendeavouring misenforced misenglish misenglishing misengraved misenite misenjoying misenrol misenrolled misenrolling misenrols misenter misentered misentering misenters misenticing misentitled misentreat misentreated misentreating misentreats misentries misentry misenunciation