Final answer:
Polymorphism in programming refers to the ability of objects from different classes to respond to the same message in different ways. It simplifies code maintenance by allowing for more flexibility and modularity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Polymorphism in the context of programming refers to the ability of objects belonging to different classes to respond to the same message in different class-specific ways. It is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming and is supported by Java.
Polymorphism simplifies code maintenance because it allows for more flexible and modular code. For example, you can write code that handles a general type of object and it will automatically work with any specific type that inherits from that general type.