metamorphosis

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˌmɛtəˈmɔrfəsəs/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A profound change in form, structure, or appearance from one stage to the next in the life cycle of an organism, such as the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly or a tadpole into a frog.; A striking change in appearance, character, or circumstances; a complete transformation or conversion.; In geology, the process by which rocks are changed in mineral composition, texture, or internal structure by heat, pressure, or chemical action.; In medicine, a change in the form or structure of a body part or tissue, especially an abnormal or pathological transformation.; In mythology and literature, a supernatural transformation of a person or thing into a different form, as in Ovid's Metamorphoses.; In entomology, the process of development from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages, classified as either complete (holometabolous) or incomplete (hemimetabolous).

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: metamorphoses

Collocations

undergo a metamorphosiscomplete metamorphosisa remarkable metamorphosisundergo metamorphosisa dramatic metamorphosis

Derivatives

metamorphosemetamorphicmetamorphically

Synonyms

transformationtransmutationconversionalterationchange

Antonyms

stasisstagnation

Commonly confused

metamorphose
EN: 'Metamorphose' is the verb form meaning to undergo or cause a transformation; 'metamorphosis' is the noun naming the process or result.
metaphor
EN: 'Metaphor' is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things; 'metamorphosis' is an actual transformation or change in form.

Spelling tips

EN: The plural is 'metamorphoses' (following Greek pluralization), not 'metamorphosises'. Note the 'ph' spelling throughout, not 'f'.

💬 Examples

  1. The metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly is one of nature's most remarkable transformations.

  2. The city underwent a remarkable metamorphosis over the past decade, transforming from a sleepy town into a bustling metropolis.

  3. The metamorphosis of limestone into marble occurs under conditions of extreme heat and pressure deep within the Earth's crust.

  4. The doctor noted a metamorphosis in the tissue structure that indicated the progression of the disease.

  5. Ovid's Metamorphoses recounts the metamorphosis of Daphne into a laurel tree to escape Apollo's pursuit.

  6. Complete metamorphosis in insects involves four distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.