METAMORPHISM

metamorphism

(noun) change in the structure of rock by natural agencies such as pressure or heat or introduction of new chemical substances

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

metamorphism (countable and uncountable, plural metamorphisms)

(geology) The process by which rocks are changed into other forms by the application of heat and/or pressure.

(zoology) The process by which insects develop through life stages, for example, those of embryo, larva, pupa and imago. The life cycle of the butterfly is one of complete metamorphosis, in which the embryo grows within the egg, hatches into the larval stage caterpillar, enters the pupal stage within its chrysalis, and finally emerges as an adult butterfly imago.

(by extension) Any dramatic change from one thing to another

Source: Wiktionary

Met`a*mor"phism, n. (Geol.)

Definition: The state or quality of being metamorphic; the process by which the material of rock masses has been more or less recrystallized by heat, pressure, etc., as in the change of sedimentary limestone to marble. Murchison.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition