Meanings
nounepimutation (plural epimutations)
plural epimutations
- biologyA heritable change in gene expression that does not affect the actual base pair sequence of DNA.
The first sign of cellular abnormality in some tumors is an epimutation—a change in heritable chromatin marks, such as an increase or decrease in the density of DNA methylation.
2005, Eva Jablonka, Marion J. Lamb, Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life, MIT Press, →ISBN, page 248
Origin
From epi- + mutation; compare epigenetic.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French épimutation
- épimutationTranslations
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with epimutation
informationeducationlocationapplicationassociationadministrationorganizationcorporationregistrationAsianfoundationcommunicationpopulationnavigationstationaccommodationoperationpublicationvacationtransportationevaluationimplementationinstallationnation
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
epimutation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epimutation
MLA
“epimutation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epimutation. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “epimutation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epimutation.
Source: epimutation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.