mutation.

1. A change in the genetic material of an organism, cell or virus.

2. A marked change in form, character or condition.

3. A systematic change in a speech sound, especially a consonant change triggered by grammatical or phonological conditions.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• genetic mutation
• mutation in a gene

On the page

The detected mutation did not explain every change in the organism’s behavior.

A mutation in the gene affected one function without creating the dramatic traits the rumor described.

Usage notes

Primary category: horror / sci-fi / gothic. Forms: Singular mutation; plural mutations. Also uncountable for the process. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: hazard description, speculative setting, bodily condition, scene explanation. Disciplines: genre writing, science-informed description, clinical and safety vocabulary. Commonness: moderately common.