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mutate
[ myoo-teyt ]
verb (used with object)
- to change; alter.
- Biology. to cause (a gene, cell, etc.) to undergo an alteration of one or more characteristics:
The disease mutates the retina’s rod cells, and they slowly stop working.
- Phonetics. to change by umlaut.
verb (used without object)
- to undergo change:
It was a gamble to mutate from hard rock frontman to big band crooner, but he went seriously retro and won that bet in a huge way.
- Biology. (of a gene, cell, etc.) to undergo an alteration of one or more characteristics:
Drug-resistant cells mutate more quickly and could migrate into surrounding tissue.
mutate
/ mjuːˈteɪtɪv; ˈmjuːtətɪv; mjuːˈteɪt /
verb
- to undergo or cause to undergo mutation
Derived Forms
- mutative, adjective
Other Words From
- mu·ta·tive [myoo, -t, uh, -tiv], adjective
- non·mu·ta·tive adjective
- un·mu·tat·ed adjective
- un·mu·ta·tive adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of mutate1
Example Sentences
Although there have been no confirmed occurrences of human-to-human transmission, each time the virus is transmitted, it has a greater chance of mutating in ways that make it more infectious to humans.
However, when subunits are mutated or USP39 is absent, the stability of the tripartite complex is compromised, causing the spliceosome to lose precision.
In the mutated mosquitoes, neurons normally involved in detecting sound showed no response to the flight tones or wingbeats of potential mates.
Each time the virus transfers it also increases the chances it could mutate in some way that could more easily infect humans, posing a pandemic risk on par with COVID-19.
Since their reproductive genes tend to mutate faster, the right dose can leave them relatively unfazed but unable to reproduce.
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