transcription

American  

[tran-skrip-shuhn] / trænˈskrɪp ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of transcribing.

2. something transcribed.

3. a transcript; copy.

4. Music.

   1. the arrangement of a composition for a medium other than that for which it was originally written.

   2. a composition so arranged.

5. Radio and Television. a recording made especially for broadcasting.

6. Genetics. the process by which genetic information on a strand of DNA is used to synthesize a strand of complementary RNA.

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transcription British  

/ trænˈskrɪpʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of transcribing or the state of being transcribed

2. something transcribed

3. a representation in writing of the actual pronunciation of a speech sound, word, or piece of continuous text, using not a conventional orthography but a symbol or set of symbols specially designated as standing for corresponding phonetic values

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transcription Scientific  

/ trăn-skrĭp′shən /

1. The process in a cell by which genetic material is copied from a strand of DNA to a complementary strand of RNA (called messenger RNA). In eukaryotes, transcription takes place in the nucleus before messenger RNA is transported to the ribosomes for protein synthesis.

2. Compare translation

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Other Word Forms

• mistranscription noun
• nontranscription noun
• nontranscriptive adjective
• pretranscription noun
• retranscription noun
• transcriptional adjective
• transcriptionally adverb
• transcriptive adjective
• transcriptively adverb
• transscriptionist noun

Etymology

Origin of transcription

First recorded in 1590–1600, transcription is from the Latin word trānscrīptiōn- (stem of trānscrīptiō ). See transcript, -ion

Explanation

A transcription is the document made by copying down in writing something that you listen to, like audio tapes, an interview, or comments made during a meeting. If you watch TV crime dramas, you’ve probably seen someone take a transcription while cops interview a suspect — that person is writing down all the things that are said. Transcription can also refer to the process of transcribing. If you’re a musician, you probably know that transcription can also describe adapting a piece of music for different instruments, like a cello transcription of a Beatles song.

Example Sentences

It forms clusters at gene sites, bringing together the necessary components exactly where they are needed to begin transcription.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

The narrator creates a small scandal by jokingly telling the story of his transcription blunder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

You probably interact with them multiple times every day by now - from the summary at the top of search engine results to your smartphone's autocorrect, photo editing software or voicemail transcription tools.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

The genes in this cluster are turned on by proteins known as transcription factors.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

There’s a note in the transcription that John didn’t hesitate when he said that.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin

Related Words

• breeding
• copy
• facsimile
• imitation
• photocopy
• photograph
• picture
• print
• propagation
• recreation
• replica
• replication