morpho-, morph-, -morphous, -morphically, -morphia, -morphosis, -morphously, -morphy, -morphic, -morphism
(Greek: shape, form, figure, appearance)
dysmorphology
1. A branch of clinical genetics concerned with the study of structural defects; especially, congenital malformations.
2. The study of malformations.
dysmorphomania
1. The delusional conviction that one is physically deformed or otherwise abnormal.
2. An abnormal dread of deformity, particularly in others.
dysmorphophobic
1. A reference to a mental disorder characterized by a normal person's obsession with an imagined defect in physical appearance; also called muscle dysmorphia, dysmorphophobia, reverse anorexia.
2. Characterized by a fear of being deformed; also called body dysmorphic disorder.
3. Relating to a persistent complaint of a perceived bodily defect that is not noticeable to others; occasionally several parts of the body are involved.
Dysmorphophobics have anxiety about their faces, their breasts, or hips, etc.; of body or limbs being wrinkled, misshapened, too large, too small; or of even of unpleasant odors coming from body sweat or from their breaths, etc.
Sufferers tend to believe that others will comment adversely about their appearance or body odors and so such victims try to avoid the company of possible critics (whether real or imaginary). They may be unable to look others in the eyes and try to hide the body part of which they are self-conscious, growing their hair longer or wearing a hat to conceal imagined baldness or misshapened ears, wearing dark glasses to hide the shapes of their eyes, or avoid swimming so others will not see their mostly nude bodies.
Some people will not even look in mirrors because their reflections upset them or they will wash zealously to remove bodily odor which is imperceptible to others.
ectomorph, ectomorphic
1. An individual having a lean, slightly muscular body shape in which tissues derived from the embryonic ectoderm predominate.
2. A person with a thin non-muscular body.
3. Someone who belongs to a physiological type that has long lean limbs.
4. A constitutional body type or build (biotype or somatotype) in which tissues originating from the ectoderm predominate; from a morphological standpoint, the limbs predominate over the trunk.
Usually ectomorphs have lean bodies with slight or minimal muscle development. Examples of ectomorphs would be marathon runners, swimmers, basketball players, and fashion models. Generally speaking people with ectomorphic bodies have a hard time gaining weight and difficulty building muscle mass.
endomorph
1. An individual having a body build characterized by relative prominence of the abdomen and other soft body parts developed from the embryonic endodermal layer.
2. A heavy person with a soft and rounded body.
3. An individual having a body build in which tissues derived from the endoderm predominate; there is relative preponderance of soft roundness throughout the body, with large digestive viscera and accumulations of fat, and with large trunk and thighs and tapering extremities, as contrasted with ectomorph and mesomorph.
4. A mineral enclosed within another mineral, such as rutile or tourmaline in quartz.
endomorphic
A reference to or characteristic of an endomorph.
endomorphism
1. A change within an intrusive igneous rock caused by the assimilation of portions of the surrounding rock.
2. A homomorphism that maps a mathematical system into itself.
endomorphy
Round, fat, and heavy.
ephemeromorph
epimorphic
Characterized by incomplete metamorphosis; having the same number of body segments in successive stages.
epimorphosis
1. Passing several stages of growth in the same form, especially of segmented insects.
2. Regeneration of a part of an organism by extensive cell proliferation and differentiation at the cut surface.
exomorphic
gamomorphism
That stage of growth or development in an organism, in which the reproductive elements are generated and matured in preparation for propagating the species.
geomorph, geomorphs
1. Three-dimensional geometric surface or surfaces.
2. Earth shape or earth form.
geomorphic
1. Of or resembling the earth or its shape or surface configuration.
2. Pertaining to the form of the earth or the forms of its surface.
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