Metamorphosis

[met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis] /ˌmɛt əˈmɔr fə sɪs/

noun, plural metamorphoses
[met-uh-mawr-fuh-seez] /ˌmɛt əˈmɔr fəˌsiz/ (Show IPA)
1.
Biology. a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism, as from the caterpillar to the pupa and from the pupa to the adult butterfly.
Compare .
2.
a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation by magic or witchcraft.
3.
any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances, etc.
4.
a form resulting from any such change.
5.
Pathology.

6.
Botany. the structural or functional modification of a plant organ or structure during its development.
noun, German Die Verwandlung
1.
a short story (1915) by Franz Kafka.
/ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs/
noun (pl) -ses (-ˌsiːz)
1.
a complete change of physical form or substance
2.
a complete change of character, appearance, etc
3.
a person or thing that has undergone metamorphosis
4.
(zoology) the rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in certain animals, for example the stage between tadpole and frog or between chrysalis and butterfly
n.

1530s, “change of form or shape,” especially by witchcraft, from Latin metamorphosis, from Greek metamorphosis “a transforming, a transformation,” from metamorphoun “to transform, to be transfigured,” from meta- “change” (see meta-) + morphe “form” (see Morpheus). Biological sense is from 1660s. As the title of Ovid’s work, late 14c., Metamorphoseos, from Latin Metamorphoses (plural).

metamorphosis met·a·mor·pho·sis (mět’ə-môr’fə-sĭs)
n. pl. met·a·mor·pho·ses (-sēz’)

met’a·mor·phot’ic (-môr-fŏt’ĭk) adj.
metamorphosis
(mět’ə-môr’fə-sĭs)
Dramatic change in the form and often the habits of an animal during its development after birth or hatching. The transformation of a maggot into an adult fly and of a tadpole into an adult frog are examples of metamorphosis. The young of such animals are called larvae.
metamorphosis [(met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis)]

A change in an animal as it grows, particularly a radical change, such as the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly.