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transmutation
transmutation definition
trans·mu·ta·tion (trans′myo̵̅o̅ tā′s̸hən, tranz′-)
noun
- a transmuting or being transmuted; change of one thing into another
- Rare a fluctuation
- in the Middle Ages, the supposedly possible conversion of base metals into gold and silver by alchemy
- Chem. the conversion of atoms of a given element into atoms of a different isotope or of a different element, as in radioactive disintegration or by nuclear bombardment
Etymology: ME transmutacioun < LL transmutatio < pp. of L transmutare
Related Forms:
- transmutational trans′·mu·ta′·tional adjective
- transmutative trans·mut′a·tive (-myo̵̅o̅t′ə tiv) adjective
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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