Morfology

Morfology is a term used in different disciplines to describe the study of form and structure. In linguistics, morphology analyzes how words are formed from smaller meaningful units called morphemes—the smallest units of meaning or grammatical function. Words combine free morphemes, which can stand alone, and bound morphemes, such as prefixes and suffixes. Morphology distinguishes inflection, which provides grammatical information (tense, number, case), from derivation, which creates new words. It also examines processes like compounding, affixation, and morphophonemic alternations, and how morphology interacts with syntax and phonology. Languages vary in their morphological systems, ranging from isolating to highly synthetic or polysynthetic types.

In biology, morphology refers to the form and structure of organisms and their parts, from organs to tissues and cells. It studies the shape, size, arrangement, and developmental patterns of biological features. Morphology intersects with anatomy, embryology, and functional biology, and employs methods such as comparative morphology, morphometrics, and imaging. Evolutionary and developmental perspectives explore how morphological traits arise, diversify, and adapt across species.

In other scholarly contexts, morphology can describe form and structure in various systems, but the term is most commonly associated with linguistic and biological studies. The focus across disciplines is on structural organization and how form relates to function, development, and evolution.