metamerism
|me-ta-mer-ism|
/məˈtæmərɪzəm/
division or repetition into parts
Etymology
'metamerism' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'metamerēs' (from 'meta-' + 'meros'), where 'meta-' meant 'after' or 'change' and 'meros' meant 'part'.
'metamerism' entered scientific usage via New Latin/Germanic formations (e.g. New Latin/Modern German forms such as 'metamerismus') and French scientific usage, and eventually became the modern English word 'metamerism'.
Initially the parts of the root referred generally to being 'made of parts' or 'partitioned into parts'; over time the term came to be used specifically for biological segmentation and, separately in color science, for the color-matching phenomenon described above.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
in color science and colorimetry: the phenomenon in which two samples have different spectral power distributions but appear to match (have the same color) under a particular light source.
The metamerism between the two fabric swatches was obvious when the lighting in the showroom changed.
Synonyms
Noun 2
in biology and anatomy: segmentation of the body into a series of similar units (metameres), as seen in annelids and arthropods.
Many invertebrates show clear metamerism, with repeated segments along the length of the body.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/21 16:15