mutation
/mjuˈteɪʃən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.64 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "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."
- "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."
Etymology
Late 14th century as Middle English mutacioun, from Latin mūtātiō, both directly and via Old French mutacion.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
Inflected Forms
mutations (plural)
mutat. (alternative)
Derived Forms
animutation
antimutation
backmutation
ectomutation
endomutation
epimutation
extramutation
heteromutation
homomutation
hypermutation
hypomutation
intermutation