polymorphic

From poly- +‎ -morphic.

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌpɑliˈmɔɹfɪk/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)fɪk

polymorphic (not comparable)

1. Relating to polymorphism (any sense), able to have several shapes or forms.
   • 1859 November 24, Charles Darwin, “Variation under Nature”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, , London: John Murray, , →OCLC, page 46:

     I refer to those genera which have sometimes been called "protean" or "polymorphic," in which the species present an inordinate amount of variation; and hardly two naturalists can agree which forms to rank as species and which as varieties.

   • 1897, Grant Allen, An African Millionaire

     Dr. Beddersley came -- a dapper little man, with pent-house eyebrows, and keen, small eyes, whom I suspected at sight of being Colonel Clay himself in another of his clever polymorphic embodiments.

2. (programming, of a function) Having or relating to the ability to take multiple data types for a single parameter.
   • 1996, Rod Ellis, Data abstraction and program design:

     Polymorphic redefinition in C++ is achieved by the use of virtual functions.

   • 2012, Karel Driesen, Efficient Polymorphic Calls, page 1:

     A polymorphic call looks like a procedural call, but where a procedural call has only one possible target subroutine, a polymorphic call can result in the execution of one of several different subroutines.

3. (chemistry) Relating to a compound that can crystallizes into two or more distinct forms (e.g. carbon, which can crystalize into coal, graphite, diamond, etc.)
   • 1916, Percy Williams Bridgman, The Velocity of Polymorphic Changes Between Solids, page 84:

     The fact that polymorphic equilibrium is not a dynamic equilibrium is significant with respect to the random distribution of velocity of temperature agitation among the molecules.

• (able to have several shapes or forms): multiform, protean; See also Thesaurus:multiform

• monomorphic