polymorphismn.
/ˌpɒlɪˈmɔːfɪz(ə)m/, U.S. /ˌpɑliˈmɔrˌfɪz(ə)m/ 1. gen. The condition or character of being polymorphous; the occurrence of something in several different forms.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > [noun] > condition of having many or all shapes
multiformity1589
omniformity1644
variformity1702
multiformness1727
omniformness1727
polymorphism1839
polymorphy1846
multiforma1849
pluriformity1947
1839 Fraser's Mag. 20 699 The various portraits of her majesty astonish by their perplexing poly- or heteromorphism.
1871 H. Macmillan True Vine (1872) iii. 112 This polymorphism of the Christian character..secures the charm and the contrast of an endless variety.
1949 Amer. Jrnl. Archaol. 53 21 The polymorphism, variety, and technological methods of stone artifacts fabricated by our diluvial hunters.
1999 R. Viladesau Theol. Aesthestics 245 The difference between scientific knowledge and what we mean by ‘knowledge’ in the sphere of everyday life simply provides a dramatic example of the complexity and polymorphism of human cognition.
2.
a. Biology. Variability of morphological form; cf. polymorphic adj. 2, polymorphous adj. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > genetic activity > heredity or hereditary descent > [noun] > occurrence of variant forms
polymorphism1846
polymorphy1846
heteromorphism1874
polytypism1932
cline1938
topocline1939
polytypy1954
morphism1955
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > characteristics > [noun] > polymorphism
polymorphism1899
1846 C. Darwin Let. 25 Feb. in Corr. (1987) III. 294 If you come to any more conclusions about polymorphism, I shd. be very glad to hear the result.
1874 M. C. Cooke Fungi 4 What is now known of the polymorphism of fungi.
1899 J. Cagney tr. R. von Jaksch Clin. Diagnosis (ed. 4) i. 56 The plague bacillus exhibits an unusual degree of polymorphism.
1913 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 203 227 One and a half years' research on insect polymorphism.
1940 E. B. Ford in J. S. Huxley New Systematics 505 It is important to distinguish true polymorphism..from the existence of multiple phases attained at different stages of development.
1989 National Geographic Mar. 400/1 The workers of this species exhibit polymorphism, specialized physical castes.
b. Genetics and Molecular Biology. Originally: the stable and regular existence of two or more discontinuous phenotypes or genotypes in a population; the existence of multiple possible alleles at a given locus; an instance of this. Later also: variability of amino acid sequence in a protein or nucleotide sequence in a gene or other part of a nucleic acid molecule; an instance of this.balanced polymorphism, single nucleotide polymorphism: see the first element.
ΚΠ
1940 E. B. Ford in J. S. Huxley New Systematics 493 A balanced polymorphism of this nature is therefore permanent, apart from changes in the conditions controlling the balance.
1956 Trans. Royal Soc. Trop. Med. & Hygiene 50 200 Geneticists had been encouraged in their efforts to elucidate the mechanisms underlying balanced polymorphisms.
1962 Nature 19 May 658/2 It would be of interest to determine if antigenic polymorphisms of β-lipoproteins..occur in species other than man.
1976 R. A. Goldsby Basic Biol. xxiii. 552/2 Recent analysis of enzymes and other proteins has..revealed a previously unsuspected number of genetic polymorphisms in protein chains.
1992 Wilson Q. Spring 63/1 Gusella took advantage of the fact that the segments created by restriction enzymes vary from person to person, resulting in what are called restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs).
1995 Denver Post 22 Jan. a14/1 Biologists determined that what appeared to be a guilty mutation..was in fact a so-called polymorphism, a harmless variation in the chemical makeup of some people's DNA.
2004 N.Y. Times Mag. 10 Oct. 49/2 The most common type of [genetic] variants are called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNP's.
3. Chemistry and Mineralogy. The property of crystallizing in two or more different forms, esp. in forms belonging to different crystal systems; the occurrence of polymorphs.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > polymorphism > [noun]
polymorphism1848
the world > the earth > minerals > mineral structure or appearance > [noun] > crystal structure
isomorphism1828
polymorphism1848
idiomorphism1892
isotypy1942
the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > crystal (general) > structures and forms > [noun] > polymorph > polymorphism
polymorphism1848
pleomorphism1854
1848 Mem. & Proc. Chem. Soc. London 1845–8 3 93 (heading) Dimorphism and polymorphism.
1878 H. P. Gurney Crystallogr. 83 Dimorphism and trimorphism are particular cases of polymorphism.
1922 T. M. Lowry Inorg. Chem. xxv. 322 The four crystalline forms of soluble sulphur afford an example of polymorphism.
1984 N. N. Greenwood & A. Earnshaw Chem. of Elements (1986) vi. 161 The determination of precise physical properties for elemental boron is bedevilled by the twin difficulties of complex polymorphism and contamination by irremovable impurities.
2001 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98 12351/1 The significance of crystal structure prediction for solving the problem of polymorphism has been discussed.
4. Computing. The ability of a single command to work with different data types, esp. in object-oriented programming, without these types necessarily being specified in advance.The paper cited in quot. a1975 presents the substance of a course of lectures given by C. Strachey at the International Summer School in Computer Programming at Copenhagen in August 1967.
ΚΠ
a1975 C. Strachey in Higher-Order & Symbolic Computation 13 (2000) 37 The chief difference in treating types as manifest is that this information has to be made available to the compiler. The desire to do this leads to an examination of the various types of polymorphism.
1978 Jrnl. Computer & Syst. Sci. 17 348 (title) A theory of type polymorphism in programming.
1991 Mining Mag. Feb. 103/1 Object oriented programming..supports many popular programming features..and introduces novel features like ‘inheritance’ and ‘polymorphism’.
1998 Economist 21 Mar. 8/3 Components look a little like objects, but do not provide ‘inheritance’, polymorphism or the other main aspects of object-orientation.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1839