polymorphic

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   Relating to polymorphism (any sense), able to have several shapes or forms.

   • 1897, Grant Allen, An African Millionaire Dr. Beddersley came -- a dapper little man, with pent-house eyebrows, and keen, small eyes, whom I suspected at sight of being Colonel Clay himself in another of his clever polymorphic embodiments.
2. 2

   Having or relating to the ability to take multiple data types for a single parameter.

   • Polymorphic redefinition in C++ is achieved by the use of virtual functions.
   • A polymorphic call looks like a procedural call, but where a procedural call has only one possible target subroutine, a polymorphic call can result in the execution of one of several different subroutines.
3. 3

   Relating to a compound that can crystallize into two or more distinct forms (e.g. carbon,…

   Relating to a compound that can crystallize into two or more distinct forms (e.g. carbon, which can crystalize into coal, graphite, diamond, etc.)

   • The fact that polymorphic equilibrium is not a dynamic equilibrium is significant with respect to the random distribution of velocity of temperature agitation among the molecules.

The neighborhood

• synonymprotean
• antonymmonomorphic