Polymorphism is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming (OOP) that refers to the ability of a single function or operator to operate in different ways depending on the context. The term itself is derived from Greek, where “poly” means “many” and “morphs” means “forms,” indicating that a single entity can take on multiple forms.

There are two primary types of polymorphism: compile-time polymorphism and runtime polymorphism. Compile-time polymorphism, also known as static binding, is achieved through method overloading and operator overloading, where the method to be executed is determined at compile time based on the number of arguments or their types. In contrast, runtime polymorphism, or dynamic binding, is typically implemented through method overriding, where a subclass provides a specific implementation of a method that is already defined in its parent class ¹³.

In Java, polymorphism can also be achieved through interfaces, which define a set of methods that classes must implement, allowing for flexible and reusable code ¹². Overall, polymorphism enhances code readability and maintainability by allowing developers to write more generic and adaptable code.