metamorphosis

noun4

1. •
   A transformation, such as one performed by magic.

   • With Severne she along doth go, / Her Metamorphosis to show ; / And makes the wand’ring Wy declaim / In honour of the British name. — 1612
2. •
   A noticeable change in character, appearance, function, or condition.

   • The station has been refurbished both at ground level and below ground, where the wide, fluorescently lit platforms are an almost unrecognisable metamorphosis of the dingy, reeking Low Level of old. — 1960
3. •
   A change in the form and often habits of an animal after the embryonic stage during normal development (e.g. the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly or a tadpole into a frog).
4. •
   A change, usually degenerative, in the structure of a specific body tissue.