polymorphism

Definition

The ability to assume different forms or shapes.

Etymology

From poly- + -morphism.

Example Sentences

• "Since 1990 they have found an entirely new role: they promise understanding of how and why our genes are all so different. They hold the key to human polymorphism."
• "Some polymorphisms can be quite stable – so stable that they span the change from an ancestral to a descendant species."