MUTATION
Dictionary entry overview: What does mutation mean?
• MUTATION (noun)
The noun MUTATION has 3 senses:
1. (biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration
2. (genetics) any event that changes genetic structure; any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism
3. a change or alteration in form or qualities
Familiarity information: MUTATION used as a noun is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
• MUTATION (noun)
Meaning:
(biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
mutant; mutation; sport; variation
Hypernyms ("mutation" is a kind of...):
being; organism (a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently)
Domain category:
biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mutation"):
freak; lusus naturae; monster; monstrosity (a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed)
Meaning:
(genetics) any event that changes genetic structure; any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
chromosomal mutation; genetic mutation; mutation
Hypernyms ("mutation" is a kind of...):
alteration; change; modification (an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another)
Meronyms (parts of "mutation"):
mutagenesis (an event capable of causing a mutation)
Domain category:
genetic science; genetics (the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mutation"):
deletion ((genetics) the loss or absence of one or more nucleotides from a chromosome)
inversion ((genetics) a kind of mutation in which the order of the genes in a section of a chromosome is reversed)
transposition ((genetics) a kind of mutation in which a chromosomal segment is transfered to a new position on the same or another chromosome)
gene mutation; point mutation (a mutation due to an intramolecular reorganization of a gene)
reversion (a return to a normal phenotype (usually resulting from a second mutation))
saltation (a mutation that drastically changes the phenotype of an organism or species)
Meaning:
A change or alteration in form or qualities
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Hypernyms ("mutation" is a kind of...):
alteration; change; modification (an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another)
