meaning of polymorphic
1. Polymorphous.
2. polymorphic polymorphism polymorphic lambda-calculus Or "second order typed lambda-calculus". An extension of typed lambda-calculus allowing functions which take types as parameters. E. g. the polymorphic function "twice" may be written: twice = / t . f :: t -> t . x :: t . f f x where "/" is an upper case Greek lambda and "v :: T" is usually written as v with subscript T. The parameter t will be bound to the type to which twice is applied, e. g. : twice Int takes and returns a function of type Int -> Int. Actual type arguments are often written in square brackets [ ]. Function twice itself has a higher type: twice :: Delta t . t -> t -> t -> t where Delta is an upper case Greek delta. Thus / introduces an object which is a function of a type and Delta introduces a type which is a function of a type. Polymorphic lambda-calculus was invented by Jean-Yves Girard in 1971 and independently by John C. Reynolds in 1974.
3. having or occurring in several distinct forms; "man is both polymorpphic and polytypic"; "a polymorphous
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