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   Mu·ta·tion

   /myo͞oˈtāSH(ə)n/

   

   noun

   • 1. the action or process of mutating: "the mutation of cooking into a form of show business" Similar alterationchangevariationmodificationtransformationmetamorphosistransmutationtransfigurationsea changeevolutionhumorous:transmogrification
   • 2. the changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form that may be transmitted to subsequent generations, caused by the alteration of single base units in DNA, or the deletion, insertion, or rearrangement of larger sections of genes or chromosomes: "mutation is, ultimately, the only way in which new variation enters the species" Similar alterationchangevariationmodificationtransformationmetamorphosistransmutationtransfigurationsea changeevolutionhumorous:transmogrification
   • ▪ a distinct form resulting from a change in the structure of a gene: "whether his goats were a new mutation or part of an older breed remains unclear" Similar mutantvariantvariationfreakfreak of naturedeviantmonstrositymonsterdeformityanomalydeparturelusus naturaerare:miscreation
   • 3. regular change of a sound when it occurs adjacent to another.
   • ▪ (in Germanic languages) the process by which the quality of a vowel was altered in certain phonetic contexts; umlaut.
   • ▪ (in Celtic languages) change of an initial consonant in a word caused (historically) by the preceding word.

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Latin mutatio(n-), from mutare ‘to change’.

   Scrabble Points: 10

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