mutation

Noun

mutation (countable and uncountable, plural mutations)

1. Any alteration or change.
2. Any heritable change of the base-pair sequence of genetic material.
   • 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...2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, archived from the original on 14 Aug 2013
   • 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...2019 January 8, Nina Avramova, “AI technology can identify genetic diseases by looking at your face, study says”, in CNN, archived from the original on 27 Nov 2022
3. A mutant.
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.
5. The transfer of title of an asset in a register.
6. (collective, noun, rare) A group of thrushes.
   • Birdwatchers would enjoy a host of sparrows, a herd of swans, a descent of woodpeckers, a herd of wrens, and mutation of thrushes.1984, Virginia Wildlife, volume 45, Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries
   • Names for a group: A flute or mutation of thrushes.2010, Doug Bennet, Tim Tiner, The Complete Up North: A Guide to Ontario's Wilderness from Black Flies to the Northern Lights, page 57