morph

UK: /ˈmɔː^rf/ US: (môrf )

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

-morph-, root. 

1. -morph- comes from Greek, where it has the meaning "form;
   shape.'' This meaning is found in such words as: amorphous, anthropomorphism, metamorphosis, morpheme, morphine.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

morph  (môrf ), n. 

1. Linguistics a sequence of phonemes constituting a minimal unit of grammar or syntax, and, as such, a representation, member, or contextual variant of a morpheme in a specific environment. Cf. allomorph (def. 2).
2. Developmental Biology, Biology [Biol.] an individual of one particular form, as a worker ant, in a species that occurs in two or more forms.

v.t. 

3. Computing to transform (an image) by computer.

v.i. 

4. to be transformed:
   morphing from a tough negotiator to Mr. Friendly.

• back formation from morpheme, or independent use of -morph 1945–50

mor′phic, adj. 

morph-, 

1. var. of morpho- before a vowel:
   morpheme.

-morph, 

1. a combining form meaning "form, structure,'' of the kind specified by the initial element:
   isomorph.

• Greek -morphos; see -morphous

morph, +v.t. 

1. Computing to transform (an image) by computer.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

morpho-, 

1. a combining form meaning "form, structure,'' used in the formation of compound words:
   morphology.

Also,[esp. before a vowel,] morph-. Cf. -morph, -morphic, -morphism, -morphous. 

• Greek, combining form of morphé̄

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

-morph combining_form:in_noun:countable

1. indicating shape, form, or structure of a specified kind: ectomorph

Etymology: from Greek -morphos, from morphē shape

-morphic, -morphous combining_form:in_adjective

-morphy combining_form:in_noun:countable