Without a definite shape or form; shapeless.

According to the Greek myths of the creation, the world began in an amorphous state; and the Bible states that, at the beginning, “the earth was without form, and void.” Most of us have had nightmares that consist mostly of just a looming amorphous but terrifying thing. A plan may have so little detail that critics call it amorphous. And a new word may appear to name a previously amorphous group of people, such as *yuppie* in 1983 and *Generation X* six years later.

(1) Having or described as having human form or traits. (2) Seeing human traits in nonhuman things.

*Anthropomorphic* means a couple of different things. In its first sense, an anthropomorphic cup is a cup in the shape of a human, and anthropomorphic gods are human in appearance—like the Greek and Roman gods, for example, even though Socrates and others believed that their fellow Greeks had created the gods in their own image rather than the other way around. In its second sense, the animal characters in Aesop's fables are anthropomorphic since they all have human feelings and thoughts even though they don't look like humans. Thus, when the fox calls the grapes sour simply because they're out of reach, it's a very human response. Thousands of years after Aesop, *anthropomorphism* is still alive and well, in the animal stories of Beatrix Potter, George Orwell's *Animal Farm,* and hundreds of cartoons and comic strips.

(1) A physical change, especially one supernaturally caused. (2) A developmental change in an animal that occurs after birth or hatching.

Many ancient myths end in a metamorphosis. As Apollo is chasing the nymph Daphne, she calls on her river-god father for help and he turns her into a laurel tree to save her. Out of anger and jealousy, the goddess Athena turns the marvelous weaver Arachne into a spider that will spin only beautiful webs. But natural substances may also *metamorphose,* or undergo metamorphosis. Heat and pressure over thousands of years may eventually turn tiny organisms into petroleum, and coal into diamonds. And the most beloved of natural metamorphoses (notice how this plural is formed) is probably the transformation of caterpillars into butterflies.

(1) The study of the structure and form of plants and animals. (2) The study of word formation.

Within the field of biology, morphology is the study of the shapes and arrangement of parts of organisms, in order to determine their function, their development, and how they may have been shaped by evolution. Morphology is particularly important in classifying species, since it can often reveal how closely one species is related to another. Morphology is studied within other sciences as well, including astronomy and geology. And in language, morphology considers where words come from and why they look the way they do.

(1) The shape, size, and general makeup of something. (2) A general plan, arrangement, or choice of material.

*Format* is a word that seems to gain more uses with every decade. Traditionally, people used the word simply to refer to the design of a book or newspaper page, but today that's only one of its many meanings. TV news shows seem to change their format, or general form, as often as their anchorpeople, and show types such as situation comedy and crime drama are often called formats. When a radio station gives up playing pop music to became a talk station, it's said to be switching formats. In the electronic age, *format* has also become widely used as a verb; thus, organizing electronic data for storage or other special uses is called formatting (or *reformatting*).

(1) To be similar or identical; to be in agreement or harmony. (2) To follow ordinary standards or customs.

*Conform,* with its prefix *con-*, “with” or “together,” means basically “to adopt the form of those around you.” Thus, employee behavior must usually conform with basic company policies. A certain philosophy may be said to conform with American values (even if we sometimes have a hard time agreeing on exactly what those are). And a Maine Coon cat or a Dandie Dinmont terrier must conform to its breed requirements in order to be registered for breeding purposes. Being a *conformist* is usually a safe bet; being a *nonconformist,* who ignores society's standards and the whole idea of *conformity,* can be a bit dangerous but also sometimes more fun.

(1) An established custom or way of behaving that is required or standard. (2) The following of conventional rules.

*Formal* behavior follows the proper *forms* or customs, and *informal* behavior feels free to ignore them. The formality of a dinner party is indicated by such formalities as invitations, required dress, and full table settings. Legal formalities, or technicalities, may turn out to be all-important even if they often seem minor. America requires fewer formalities than many other countries (in Germany, for example, you may know someone for years before using his or her first name), but even in relaxed situations Americans may be observing invisible formalities.

(1) Giving or able to give form or shape; constructive. (2) Having to do with important growth or development.

Whatever gives shape to something else may be called formative: for example, the Grand Canyon is a product of the formative power of water, and the automobile was a huge formative influence on the design of America's cities. But it usually applies to some kind of shaping that isn't physical. An ambitious plan, for example, goes through a formative stage of development. The formative years of the U.S. included experimentation with various forms of government. And the most important formative experiences in our own lives tend to take place in the first 20 years or so.