A variant form of a word or language unit that has the same meaning but appears in different contexts, like how 'a' and 'an' are allomorphs of the same article.
From Greek 'allo-' (other) + 'morph' (form). Coined in early 20th-century linguistics to describe how the same grammatical element appears in different shapes depending on its surroundings.
Allomorphs show that language is sneakier than we think—your brain automatically switches between 'in-possible' and 'im-possible' depending on what comes next, but you never notice the switch. Linguists use 'allomorph' to describe this hidden flexibility.
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