metamorphosis

Where does the word "metamorphosis" come from? It comes from Greek metamorphosis, and was adopted directly into English (1530s).

Metamorphosis’s story begins in Greek: metamorphosis meant “a change of form.” A transformation, from meta (change) and morphe (form). It reached English by 1530s as metamorphosis. Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' and Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' (1915) are famous uses. Today, metamorphosis means a dramatic biological transformation, such as caterpillar to butterfly, or any striking change.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient metamorphosis "a change of form", a transformation, from meta (change) and morphe (form).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1530s metamorphosis "a dramatic transformation in form or structure", Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' and Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' (1915) are famous uses.