Polymorphism (computer science)

In programming language theory and type theory, polymorphism is the use of a single symbol to represent multiple different types.

In object-oriented programming, polymorphism is the provision of a single interface to entities of different types The concept is borrowed from a principle in biology where an organism or species can have many different forms or stages.

The most commonly recognized major forms of polymorphism are:

• Ad hoc polymorphism: defines a common interface for an arbitrary set of individually specified types.
• Parametric polymorphism: not specifying concrete types and instead use abstract symbols that can substitute for any type.
• Subtyping (also called subtype polymorphism or inclusion polymorphism): when a name denotes instances of many different classes related by some common superclass.