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| mu·ta·tion [ myoo táysh'n ] (plural mu·ta·tions) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. change in genetic material: a random change in a gene or chromosome resulting in a new trait or characteristic that can be inherited. Mutation can be a source of beneficial genetic variation, or it can be neutral or harmful in effect.
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2. biology
Same as mutantn (sense 1)
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3. alteration: the action or process of changing something or of being changed
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4. linguistics
Same as umlautn (sense 1)
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5. phonetics phonetic change: a phonetic change found in Celtic languages in which the initial consonant of a word changes according to the preceding word
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  mu·ta·tion·al adjective |
| mu·ta·tion·al·ly adverb |
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