Standard Lemma guide

morphew

name · noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈmɔːrfjuː/
  • CMU ARPABET: M AO1 R F Y UW0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A blemish or mark on the skin, especially a blister caused by scurvy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Norman French name borrowed from Old French malfé, malfeü, which in turn is derived from Latin malefatus, malefatutus, the perfect active participle of malefor (“to speak ill”), from Proto-Italic *maledfatos, fromLatin male (“badly, wrong”) + Latin for (“speak, say”). The first part is from Proto-Italic *malos, from Proto-Indo-European *mel- (“to deceive”), cognate with Lithuanian melas (“lie”) and the first element of Ancient Greek βλάσφημος (blásphēmos, “jinx”). The second part is from Proto-Italic *fāōr, from Proto-Indo-European *bhéh2ti (“to speak”), cognate with the second element of Ancient Greek βλάσφημος (blásphēmos, “jinx”).

From Medieval Latin morphea, perhaps from Ancient Greek μορφή (morphḗ, “form, shape”). Doublet of morphea.