mutation — English Dictionary

Noun

1. Any alteration or change.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

2. Any heritable change of the base-pair sequence of genetic material.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (2)

   Plant breeding is always a numbers game.[…]The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, […]. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better. These rarities may be new mutations, or they can be existing ones that are neutral—or are even selected against—in a wild population. A good example is mutations that disrupt seed dispersal, leaving the seeds on the heads long after they are ripe.

   He added, in an email to CNN, that “the collection of increasingly large and well curated medical datasets has enabled AI tools to predict genetic mutations from imaging phenotypes reducing the burden of healthcare systems and improving the way we care for patients.” Phenotypes are observable characteristics.

3. A mutant.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

4. An alteration in a particular sound of a word, especially the initial consonant, which is triggered by the word's morphological or syntactic context and not by its phonological context.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

5. The transfer of title of an asset in a register.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

6. A group of thrushes.

   Usage

   • collective
   • Countable
   • noun
   • Rare
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   Birdwatchers would enjoy a host of sparrows, a herd of swans, a descent of woodpeckers, a herd of wrens, and mutation of thrushes.

   Names for a group: A flute or mutation of thrushes.

   More examples (1)

   A Mutation of Thrushes The authors of the books of venery were not predicting Darwin with this term, but taking a cue from a common fable of the time.

Noun

1. (biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration

   Synonyms

   mutantvariationsport

   Broader terms

   organismbeing

2. (genetics) any event that changes genetic structure; any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism

   Synonyms

   genetic mutationchromosomal mutation

   Broader terms

   changealterationmodification

3. a change or alteration in form or qualities

   Broader terms

   changealterationmodification