Where did the term "polymorphism" come from?

Question

Where did the term "polymorphism" come from?

Answer 1

It comes from the greek roots "poly" (many) and "morphe" (form). A polymorphic object can take on many forms (it can be represented by a pointer to any of its ancestor classes). A polymorphic function can also take on many forms (it can be made to operate on objects that are actually of different types).

Answer 2

The word of Polymorphism comes from ancient greek. Something is polymorph, if it has more than one "shape/form".