Allomorph

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Paramorph \Par"a*morph\, n. [Pref. para- + Gr. morfh` form.]
     1. (Min.) A kind of pseudomorph, in which there has been a
        change of physical characters, by a change in crystal
        structure without alteration of chemical composition, as
        the change of aragonite to calcite; called also
        {allomorph}.


        [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
     2. (Biol.) A taxonomic variant observed within a species, for
        which a more specific term has not been assigned.
        [PJC] -- {par`a*mor"phic}, a. -- {par`a*mor"phous}, a.
        [PJC]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Allomorph \Al"lo*morph\, n. [Gr. ? other + morfh` form.] (Min.)
        (a) Any one of two or more distinct crystalline forms of
            the same substance; or the substance having such
            forms; -- as, carbonate of lime occurs in the
            allomorphs calcite and aragonite.
        (b) A variety of pseudomorph which has undergone partial
            or complete change or substitution of material; --
            thus limonite is frequently an allomorph after pyrite.
            --G. H. Williams.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  allomorph
       n 1: any of several different crystalline forms of the same
            chemical compound; "calcium carbonate occurs in the
            allomorphs calcite and aragonite"
       2: a variant phonological representation of a morpheme; "the
          final sounds of `bets' and `beds' and `horses' and `oxen'
          are allomorphs of the English plural morpheme"