transmutation
Americannoun
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the act or process of transmuting.
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the fact or state of being transmuted.
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change into another nature, substance, form, or condition.
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Biology. the transformation of one species into another.
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Physics. any process in which a nuclide is transformed into a different nuclide, usually one of a different element.
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Alchemy. the supposed conversion of base metals into metals of greater value, especially into gold or silver.
noun
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the act or an instance of transmuting
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the change of one chemical element into another by a nuclear reaction
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the attempted conversion, by alchemists, of base metals into gold or silver
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of transmutation
1350–1400; Middle English transmutacio ( u ) n (< Old French transmutation ) < Latin trānsmūtātiōn- (stem of trānsmūtātiō ) a changing, shifting, equivalent to trānsmūtāt ( us ) (past participle of trānsmūtāre to change) + -iōn- -ion. See transmute, -ation
Vocabulary lists containing transmutation
Nuclear Processes
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Physics - High School
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"Hamlet's Dull Revenge," Vocabulary from the literary criticism
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The most drastic transmutation of “The Ballad” thus far is in Episode 4, written by Giovanna Sarquis and directed by Rachel Goldberg.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2024
"We are confident that our measurements accurately reflect the real rate of transmutation of unstable selenium into a more stable form," said Imai.
From Science Daily • Feb. 16, 2024
Some even predicted that controlled transmutation might produce gold as an accidental by-product, which could make people rich while solving all our energy woes.
From Salon • Aug. 12, 2023
To him the sun was less a stable object than a river, in its perpetual transmutation, and he said he never saw the same eclipse twice.
From New York Times • Nov. 20, 2022
That first night of our copper transmutation, I venture out to see how Calliope has weathered the change.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
