MUTATION

n. act of mutating; change, alteration; state of having inheritable traits that differ from those of the parent; umlaut (Phonetics)

In biology, mutations are changes to the base pair sequence of the genetic material of an organism. Mutations can be caused by copying errors in the genetic material during cell division, by exposure to ultraviolet or ionizing radiation, chemical mutagens, or viruses, or can occur deliberately under cellular control during processes such as hypermutation. In multicellular organisms, mutations can be subdivided into germ line mutations, which can be passed on to descendants, and somatic mutations, which cannot be transmitted to descendants in animals. Plants sometimes can transmit somatic mutations to their descendants asexually or sexually (in case when flower buds develop in somatically mutated part of plant). A new mutation that was not inherited from either parent is called a de novo mutation.
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Noun
1. (biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration
(synonym) mutant, variation, sport
(hypernym) organism, being
(hyponym) freak, monster, monstrosity, lusus naturae
(derivation) mutate
(classification) biology, biological science
2. (genetics) any event that changes genetic structure; any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism
(synonym) genetic mutation, chromosomal mutation
(hypernym) change, alteration, modification
(hyponym) inversion
(part-meronym) mutagenesis
(derivation) mutate
(classification) genetics, genetic science
3. a change or alteration in form or qualities
(hypernym) change, alteration, modification

n. mutation, act of mutating, state of having inheritable traits that differ from those of the parent; change, alteration

n. mutation, posting, transfer