transformation

[ trans-fer-mey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for transformation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act or process of transforming.

  2. the state of being transformed.

  1. change in form, appearance, nature, or character.

  2. Theater. a seemingly miraculous change in the appearance of scenery or actors in view of the audience.

  3. Logic.Also called transform. one of a set of algebraic formulas used to express the relations between elements, sets, etc., that form parts of a given system.

  4. Mathematics.

  5. Linguistics.

  6. Genetics. the transfer of genetic material from one cell to another resulting in a genetic change in the recipient cell.

  7. a wig or hairpiece for a woman.

Origin of transformation

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Late Latin trānsfōrmātiōn-, stem of trānsfōrmātiō “change of shape”; equivalent to trans- + formation

Other words from transformation

  • trans·for·ma·tion·al, adjective
  • non·trans·for·ma·tion, noun
  • re·trans·for·ma·tion, noun
  • self-trans·for·ma·tion, noun

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

How to use transformation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for transformation

transformation

/ (ˌtrænsfəˈmeɪʃən) /


noun
  1. a change or alteration, esp a radical one

  2. the act of transforming or the state of being transformed

  1. maths

    • a change in position or direction of the reference axes in a coordinate system without an alteration in their relative angle

    • an equivalent change in an expression or equation resulting from the substitution of one set of variables by another

  2. physics a change in an atomic nucleus to a different nuclide as the result of the emission of either an alpha-particle or a beta-particle: Compare transition (def. 5)

  3. linguistics another word for transformational rule

  4. an apparently miraculous change in the appearance of a stage set

  5. (in South Africa) a national strategy aimed at attaining national unity, promoting reconciliation through negotiated settlement and non-racism

Derived forms of transformation

  • transformational, 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

Scientific definitions for transformation

transformation

[ trăns′fər-māshən ]


  1. The genetic alteration of a bacteria cell by the introduction of DNA from another cell or from a virus. Plasmids, which contain extrachromosomal DNA, are used to transform bacteria in recombinant DNA research.

  2. The change undergone by an animal cell upon infection by a cancer-causing virus.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.