English
amphimorpho
Coined by Fur Affinity user TuxedoDragon from amphi- (“opposite”) + -morph (“shape”), ostensibly because the creature can shapeshift between extreme forms.
Formed from amphi- ‘opposite’ + -morph ‘shape’
The story
Coined by Fur Affinity user TuxedoDragon from amphi- (‘opposite’) + -morph (‘shape’), ostensibly because the creature can shapeshift between extreme forms. The suffix -o apparently serves to make the name sound more Romance, reminiscent of taxonomic names; this is unetymological, as the origin of Italian, Spanish, Portuguese etc. -o is Latin -us.
Today it means
noun A fictional open species of extraterrestrial shapeshifter, with a long mammalian body and ears, and four or six limbs.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / amphimorpho