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Glite Dictionary
💎 Crystal form 🗣️ Word variant
allomorph

allomorph

9.9
A form of a substance that has a different crystal structure
  • noun
  • /ˈæl.əˌmɔrf/
  • Specialized
translation icon : alómero
  • Calcium carbonate can exist as the allomorph calcite or as aragonite.

Examples

  • The mineral exhibits different allomorphs depending on the temperature.

  • The mineral displayed a rare allomorph not often seen in nature.

  • Scientists studied the structure of each allomorph to understand its properties.

  • The allomorph is fascinating.

  • Calcium carbonate can exist as the allomorph calcite or as aragonite.

  • Scientists studied the structure of each allomorph to understand its properties.

  • The mineral displayed a rare allomorph not often seen in nature.

Synonyms

polymorph
vsallomorph
  • Specialized
1 9.4

A thing that can have different physical forms, like some insects or minerals

is limited to different crystalline forms of the same chemical compound

Surface Forms

allomorph singular
allomorphs plural

Morphology

allomorph = morph (semi-transparent) = allo + morph

Formally 'allo-' = 'other' + 'morph' = 'form', so the components yield 'other form', but both elements are bound technical combining forms unfamiliar to general B1 learners.

Etymology

Allomorph comes from the Greek parts allo- 'other' and -morph 'form'. So an allomorph is literally an 'other form', which helps you remember that the same chemical compound can appear in different crystal shapes, like calcite and aragonite.