Where does “polymorphic” come from?
Polymorphic comes from English -morphic and English -ic, from French -ique, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- meaning to fill or fold, and Proto-Indo-European -kos.
polymorphic (English): Relating to polymorphism (any sense), able to have several shapes or forms
Definitions
- Relating to polymorphism (any sense), able to have several shapes or forms
Ancestry of “polymorphic”, step by step
polymorphic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English morphic
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | morphic | Of or pertaining to shape or form; morphological;... |
| 2 | English | morph | A physical form representing some morpheme in... |
| 3 | English | morphism | An arrow in a category; an abstraction that... |
| 4 | English | isomorphism | Similarity of form; A one-to-one correspondence |
| 5 | English | ISO | The International Organization for Standardization |
| 6 | Greek | ίσος | equal; having equal rights |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἴσος | equal (to); equivalent (to); consistent (to); agreement (to) |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | δάκτυλος | finger; measure of length, the breadth of a... |
| 9 | Hebrew | דקל | palm tree; date; dachshund |
| 10 | German | Dackel | dachshund; a similar-looking dog, e.g. a basset... |
| 11 | German | Dachshund | dachshund; a similar-looking dog, e.g. a basset... |
| 12 | German | Dachs | badger; genitive singular of Dach |
| 13 | Old High German | dahs | — |
| 14 | Proto-West Germanic | þahs | badger |
| 15 | Proto-Germanic | þahsuz | badger |
via English poly
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | poly | Polytechnic; Polyethylene; Polyurethane |
| 2 | Latin | polium | Alternative form of polion |
| 3 | Latin | polion | A strong-smelling plant, perhaps Teucrium... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πόλιον | felty germander |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πολιός | grey, grizzled, grizzly; bright, clear, serene; a... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | poľľós | grey |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | polH-yós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pelH- | pale, gray |