mutation

plural mutations · alternative mutat.

1. countableuncountableAny alteration or change.
2. countableuncountablebiologyAny heritable change of the base-pair sequence of genetic material.

   2 more examples

   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 against—in a wild population. A good example is mutations that disrupt seed dispersal, leaving the seeds on the heads long after they are ripe.

   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 characteristics.

   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. countableuncountableA mutant.
4. countableuncountablehuman sciencesAn 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. countableuncountablelawThe transfer of title of an asset in a register.
6. collectivecountablenounrareuncountableA group of thrushes.

   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

   2 more examples

   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

   A Mutation of Thrushes The authors of the books of venery were not predicting Darwin with this term, but taking a cue from a common fable of the time.

   2013, Jason Sacher, A Compendium of Collective Nouns: From an Armory of Aardvarks to a Zeal of Zebras, page 196