polymorphismnoun
uk/ˌpɒl.iˈmɔː.fɪ.zəm//ˌpɑː.liˈmɔːr.fɪ.zəm/[ U ] specialized science the fact that something such as an animal or organism can exist in different forms:
Compounds that exist in more than one crystalline form are said to exhibit polymorphism.
[ C ] specialized biology a genetic variation:
a polymorphism that may have protected ancestral populations from a form of malaria