Where does “polymorphism” come from?
Polymorphism comes from English -morphism, from English -ism, from Ancient Greek -ισμός, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- meaning to fill or be full, with the nominalizing suffix -mós.
polymorphism (English): The ability to assume different forms or shapes;...
Definitions
- The ability to assume different forms or shapes;...
Ancestry of “polymorphism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | poly- | many; polymer |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | πολύς | many, a lot of; neuter πολύ or πολλά as... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πόρος | a means of passage, passageway, way, opening;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πείρω | I pierce, run through; I cleave through |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | *péryō | — |