metamorphosis
noun
[ ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs ]
• (in an insect or amphibian) the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages.
• "the persistence of the larval tail during metamorphosis"
Origin:
late Middle English: via Latin from Greek metamorphōsis, from metamorphoun ‘transform, change shape’.
