morphology - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

Morphology is the study of how things are put together, like the make-up of animals and plants, or the branch of linguistics that studies the structure of words.

In morphology, the word part morph- means "form" and -ology means "the study of." So, those who study how something is made or formed are engaged in morphology. In biology, the morphology of fish might investigate how the gills work as part of the respiratory system. In language morphology, you might study how prefixes and suffixes added to a word change its meaning.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: morphology

1	n	the branch of biology that deals with the structure of animals and plants
2	n	the branch of geology that studies the characteristics and configuration and evolution of rocks and land forms

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: morphology

1

n the branch of biology that deals with the structure of animals and plants

Types:: show 10 types...; hide 10 types...; anatomy, general anatomy
the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals; applied anatomy, clinical anatomy
the practical application of anatomical knowledge to diagnosis and treatment; comparative anatomy
the study of anatomical features of animals of different species; developmental anatomy
the branch of anatomy that studies structural changes of an individual from fertilization to maturity; functional anatomy, morphophysiology, physiological anatomy
the study of anatomy in its relation to function; gross anatomy, macroscopic anatomy
the study of the structure of the body and its parts without the use of a microscope; microscopic anatomy
the study of microscopic structures of tissues and organs; neuroanatomy
the anatomy of the nervous system; osteology
the branch of anatomy that studies the bones of the vertebrate skeleton; regional anatomy, topographic anatomy, topology
the study of anatomy based on regions or divisions of the body and emphasizing the relations between various structures (muscles and nerves and arteries etc.) in that region

Type of:: biological science, biology
the science that studies living organisms

n studies of the rules for forming admissible words

Types:: accidence, inflectional morphology
the part of grammar that deals with the inflections of words; derivational morphology
the part of grammar that deals with the derivations of words; compound morphology
the part of grammar that deals with combinations of simple words into compound words

Type of:: grammar
the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics)

n the admissible arrangement of sounds in words

Synonyms:: sound structure, syllable structure, word structure

Types:: affixation
the result of adding an affix to a root word

Type of:: structure
the complex composition of knowledge as elements and their combinations

2

n the branch of geology that studies the characteristics and configuration and evolution of rocks and land forms

Synonyms:: geomorphology

Types:: plate tectonic theory, plate tectonics, tectonics
the branch of geology studying the folding and faulting of the earth's crust; lithology, petrology
the branch of geology that studies rocks: their origin and formation and mineral composition and classification

Type of:: geophysical science, geophysics
geology that uses physical principles to study properties of the earth