🔀 Having many forms 💎 Many crystal forms 🦎 Different types

polymorphous

9.6

A substance that can form different types of crystals

adjective
/ˌpɒlɪˈmɔːrfəs/

Specialized

: polimórfico

Researchers discovered that the compound could undergo polymorphous crystallization under varying conditions.

Examples

Some compounds are polymorphous and can form different crystal structures.
The mineral's polymorphous structure results in different physical properties.
A polymorphous material may have different melting points depending on its form.
The mineral is known to be polymorphous in nature.
A polymorphous material can crystallize into various shapes that exhibit unique properties.
The researchers noted that the drug had polymorphous characteristics, allowing it to form different crystal configurations.
Some minerals are classified as polymorphous because they can crystallize in multiple distinct forms.

Synonyms

polymorphic

vspolymorphous

Specialized

1 8.9

Having many different forms, like minerals or animals with different looks

refers specifically to a substance that can form distinct crystal types

allotropic

vspolymorphous

Specialized

9.9

An element that exists in two or more forms with different properties in the same state

describes a substance able to crystallize into distinct solid forms

How Variable

polytypic

Specialized

9.7

polymorphous

Specialized

9.6

variable

Specialized

140 4.2

monomorphic

Specialized

8.8

Surface Forms

polymorphous positive

Morphology

polymorphous = polymorph (semi-transparent) = poly + morph + ous

The base word polymorph suggests 'many forms', but the crystallography sense is a specialized technical extension.

Etymology

Polymorphous comes from the Greek parts poly- 'many' and morph 'form' or 'shape'. So a polymorphous material is one that can form in 'many shapes' of crystal, which is why the same substance can have different melting points in different forms.