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Definition of "pleomorphism" [ple•o•mor•phism]

  • Chemistry See polymorphism. (noun)
  • Biology The occurrence of two or more structural forms during a life cycle, especially of certain plants. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "pleomorphism" in a sentence
  • "However, the whole concept of "pleomorphism," although seeming plausible for a while in the late 19th century based on the limited knowledge of microbiology then, was long ago discredited, as"
  • "From that time the question of the pleomorphism (mutability of shape) of the bacteria has been hotly discussed: but it is now generally agreed that, while a [v. 03 p. 0158] certain number of forms may show different types of cell during the various phases of the life-history, [2] yet the majority of forms are uniform, showing one type of cell throughout their life-history."
  • "The question, What is an individual? has given rise to much difficulty, and around it many of the speculations regarding pleomorphism have centred without useful result."