Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “metamorphic” come from?

Metamorphic derives from French -ique, Latin -icus, and Ancient Greek μορφή meaning "form," with the adjectival suffix ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -kos.

metamorphic (English): Characterised by or exhibiting a change in form...

Definitions

  1. Characterised by or exhibiting a change in form...

Ancestry of “metamorphic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-icUsed to form adjectives from nouns with the...
2EnglishimageAn optical or other representation of a real...
3Frenchimagepicture, image; frame; first-person singular...
4Portugueseimagemimage; picture; figure; image; image; face
5Spanishimagenimage
6Italianimmagineimage; imago
7Latinimāginem—
8Latinim-Alternative form of in-; form of "in"; in
9Latinīn-—
10Latinîn—
11Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
12Proto-Italicenin
13Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “metamorphic”

  • postmetamorphic
  • metamorphically
  • polymetamorphic
  • hypermetamorphic
  • ultrametamorphic
  • biometamorphic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →