metamorphosis
/ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs/
metamorphosis means A transformation, such as one performed by magic. It carries an Arena rating of 2085, earned across 46 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, metamorphosis ranks #16 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #142 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #288 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #898 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words.
metamorphosis is pronounced /ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs/.
Why “metamorphosis” is a great word
A profound change in form, structure, or substance, especially during biological development or as if by magic. From the Latin metamorphōsis, from Ancient Greek μεταμόρφωσις (metamórphōsis), from μετά (metá, "change") + μορφή (morphḗ, "form"). First attested in English in 1533. Unlike "transformation," a general term for any alteration, or "evolution," which implies a gradual, generational drift, metamorphosis is the distinct, dramatic passage between defined states of being. It is the caterpillar dissolving into organic soup only to reconstitute itself with wings, the tadpole's gills sealing shut as lungs unfold, and the child waking with the scent of earth in their skin and fingers lengthening into roots—the quiet horror and grace of becoming what you were never meant to remain.
Etymology
First attested in 1533, from Latin metamorphōsis, from Ancient Greek μεταμόρφωσις (metamórphōsis), from μετά (metá, “change”) + μορφή (morphḗ, “form”). Analyzable as meta- + -morph + -osis
noun
- A transformation, such as one performed by magic.e.g.“With Severne she along doth go, / Her Metamorphosis to show ; / And makes the wand’ring Wy declaim / In honour of the British name.” — 1612, Michael Drayton, “Poly-Olbion”, in The Complete Works of Michael Drayton, volume I, London: J. R. Smith, published 1876, page 147:
- A noticeable change in character, appearance, function, or condition.e.g.“The station has been refurbished both at ground level and below ground, where the wide, fluorescently lit platforms are an almost unrecognisable metamorphosis of the dingy, reeking Low Level of old.” — 1960 December, “The Glasgow Suburban Electrification is opened”, in Trains Illustrated, page 713:
- A change in the form and often habits of an animal after the embryonic stage during normal development (e.g. the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly or a tadpole into a frog).
- A change, usually degenerative, in the structure of a specific body tissue.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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