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mutagen

American  
[myoo-tuh-juhn, -jen] / ˈmyu tə dʒən, -ˌdʒɛn /

noun

  1. a substance or preparation capable of inducing mutation.

mutagen British  
/ ˌmjuːtəˈdʒɛnɪk, ˈmjuːtədʒən /

noun

  1. a substance or agent that can induce genetic mutation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
mutagen Cultural  

  1. Something that causes mutations in living things. Mutagens include chemicals, such as drugs or toxins, and radiation.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of mutagen

First recorded in 1945–50; muta(tion) + -gen

Vocabulary lists containing mutagen

Cell Biology - Middle School

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Cell Biology - High School

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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