mutate

[ myoo-teyt ]
See synonyms for: mutatemutated on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),mu·tat·ed, mu·tat·ing.
  1. to change; alter.

  2. Biology. to cause (a gene, cell, etc.) to undergo an alteration of one or more characteristics: The disease mutates the retina’s rod cells, and they slowly stop working.

  1. Phonetics. to change by umlaut.

verb (used without object),mu·tat·ed, mu·tat·ing.
  1. to undergo change: It was a gamble to mutate from hard rock frontman to big band crooner, but he went seriously retro and won that bet in a huge way.

  2. Biology. (of a gene, cell, etc.) to undergo an alteration of one or more characteristics: Drug-resistant cells mutate more quickly and could migrate into surrounding tissue.

Origin of mutate

1
First recorded in 1810–20; from Latin mūtātus, past participle of mūtare “to change”; see -ate1

Other words from mutate

  • mu·ta·tive [myoo-tuh-tiv], /ˈmyu tə tɪv/, adjective
  • non·mu·ta·tive, adjective
  • un·mu·tat·ed, adjective
  • un·mu·ta·tive, adjective

Words Nearby mutate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mutate in a sentence

  • He said, "Then, any survivors on earth will have to mutate into something other than mankind?"

    Deepfreeze | Robert Donald Locke

British Dictionary definitions for mutate

mutate

/ (mjuːˈteɪt) /


verb
  1. to undergo or cause to undergo mutation

Origin of mutate

1
C19: from Latin mūtātus changed, from mūtāre to change

Derived forms of mutate

  • mutative (ˈmjuːtətɪv, mjuːˈteɪtɪv), adjective

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