mutation

[ myoo-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. Biology.
   1. Also called break. a sudden departure from the parent type in one or more heritable characteristics, caused by a change in a gene or a chromosome.
   2. Also called sport. an individual, species, or the like, resulting from such a departure.
2. the act or process of changing.
3. a change or alteration, as in form or nature.
4. Phonetics. umlaut.
5. Linguistics. (in Celtic languages) syntactically determined morphophonemic phenomena that affect initial sounds of words.

mutation

/ mjuːˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of mutating; change; alteration
2. a change or alteration
3. See inversion
   a change in the chromosomes or genes of a cell. When this change occurs in the gametes the structure and development of the resultant offspring may be affected See also inversion
4. See mutant
   another word for mutant
5. a physical characteristic of an individual resulting from this type of chromosomal change
6. phonetics
   1. (in Germanic languages) another name for umlaut
   2. (in Celtic languages) a phonetic change in certain initial consonants caused by a preceding word

mutation

/ myo̅o̅-tā′shən /

1. A change in the structure of the genes or chromosomes of an organism. Mutations occurring in the reproductive cells, such as an egg or sperm, can be passed from one generation to the next. Most mutations occur in junk DNA and have no discernible effects on the survivability of an organism. Of the remaining mutations, the majority have harmful effects, while a minority can increase an organism's ability to survive. A mutation that benefits a species may evolve by means of natural selection into a trait shared by some or all members of the species.
2. See Note at sickle cell anemia

Derived Forms

• muˈtationally, adverb
• muˈtational, adjective

Other Words From

• mu·tation·al adjective
• mu·tation·al·ly adverb
• nonmu·tation·al adjective
• nonmu·tation·al·ly adverb
• unmu·tation·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mutation¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English mutacio(u)n, from Latin mūtātion- (stem of mūtātiō ) “a changing”; mutate, -ion

Example Sentences

That’s because it’s prone to introducing unexpected mutations that are hard to spot, and it can generate embryos with a mixture of edited and unedited cells.

From MIT Technology Review

Gene editing might be an option when 25 percent or fewer of a couple’s embryos would be free of the disease-causing mutation.

From Science News

When geneticists need to understand what genes do, they can create laboratory mice with “knockout” mutations and see whether and how the animals cope with the loss.

From Quanta Magazine

Dowling’s theory predicts that the faster the mitochondrial mutation rate is, the more often the members of that species will need to have sex.

From Nautilus

Without sex we’d have a situation where mitochondrial mutations accumulate much faster and the nucleus could not come up quickly enough with co-adapted mutations.

From Nautilus

This is the actual Calaveras Fault, forcing its way through town, bringing architectural mutation along with it.

From The Daily Beast

Those with the disease have some cells that are genetically normal and some with the mutation.

From The Daily Beast

For some illnesses, having a mutation in one specific gene usually—but not always—caused disease.

From The Daily Beast

If scientists identify 100 individuals with the same mutation, and 75 of them have disease, the penetrance is 75 percent.

From The Daily Beast

This was a mutation of a relationship that should, in theory, be unbreakably strong.

From The Daily Beast

Nor is it difficult to discover some of the circumstances that tended to bring about this radical mutation of policy.

From Project Gutenberg

Do species change by the gradual elimination of the unfit, or do they change by sudden leaps, the "mutation" theory of de Vries?

From Project Gutenberg

There is no trace of such vocalic mutation (“umlaut”) in Gothic, our most archaic Germanic language.

From Project Gutenberg

Still more remarkable is the mutation and addition of new words of especially definite meaning among certain classes.

From Project Gutenberg

Such differentiations in tone our own people make also, and the mutation of meaning is very close.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• alteration
• anomaly
• variation