Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

metamorphosis

Pronunciation: /ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs, ˌmɛtəmɔːˈfəʊsɪs/
Translate metamorphosis | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of metamorphosis

noun (plural metamorphoses /-siːz/)

[mass noun] Zoology
  • (in an insect or amphibian) the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages: the persistence of the larval tail during metamorphosis [count noun]:in insects with a complete metamorphosis the wings arise from thickenings of the epidermis
  • a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one:his metamorphosis from presidential candidate to talk-show host

Origin:

late Middle English: via Latin from Greek metamorphōsis, from metamorphoun 'transform, change shape'

Spelling rule

Make the plural by changing the -is ending to -es: (metamorphoses).

metamorphosis in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of metamorphosis in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

More words in this category

Word of the day

offing

/ ˈɒfɪŋ /
noun
the more distant part of the sea in view …