morphology

UK: mɔːˈfɒlədʒi | US: mɔːrˈfɑːlədʒi

Definition
  1. n. the study of the form and structure of organisms or words

  2. n. (linguistics) the branch of grammar that deals with word formation and structure

  3. n. (biology) the study of the form and structure of organisms

Structure

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Etymology

The word "morphology" combines two Greek roots: "morphē" (meaning "form" or "shape") and "-logia" (meaning "study of"). Originally used in biology to describe the study of organism structures, it was later adopted by linguistics to analyze word formation. The logic is straightforward—morpho (form) + logy (study) = the study of forms.

Examples
  1. Linguistics students often focus on morphology to understand how words are constructed.

  2. The morphology of this plant species is unique due to its adaptive leaves.

  3. His research in morphology revealed patterns in language evolution.

  4. Comparative morphology helps biologists classify organisms.

  5. The professor explained the morphology of verbs in Old English.