sal·ta·tion

[sal-tey-shuhn]
noun
1.
a dancing, hopping, or leaping movement.
2.
an abrupt movement or transition.
3.
Geology. intermittent, leaping movement of particles of sand or gravel, as from the force of wind or running water.
4.
Biology.
a.
a sudden discontinuity in a line of descent.
b.
a mutation.
Origin:
1640–50; < Latin saltātiōn- (stem of saltātiō) a dancing, equivalent to saltāt(us) (past participle of saltāre; see saltant) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms
sal·ta·tion·al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Saltation is always a great word to know.
So is infiltration. Does it mean:
seepage of water into soil or rock
tectonic boundary where two plates are moving toward each other
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Collins
World English Dictionary
saltation (sælˈteɪʃən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  biology an abrupt variation in the appearance of an organism, species, etc, usually caused by genetic mutation
2.  geology the leaping movement of sand or soil particles carried in water or by the wind
3.  a sudden abrupt movement or transition
 
[C17: from Latin saltātiō a dance, from saltāre to leap about]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

saltation sal·ta·tion (sāl-tā'shən, sôl-)
n.

  1. The act of leaping, jumping, or dancing.

  2. Discontinuous movement, transition, or development; advancement by leaps as of a disease or physiologic function.

  3. A single mutation that drastically alters the phenotype.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
saltation   (sāl-tā'shən, sôl-)  Pronunciation Key 
A single mutation that drastically alters the phenotype.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Saltation is downwind movement of particles in a series of jumps or skips.
Most of this material moves in a series of short-distance jumps called
  saltation.
Every measurement period will record a count from this signal, even when no
  saltation has occurred.
The bed load is that portion of the sediment that moves along the bottom by
  sliding, rolling, or saltation.
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