transmutation
the act or process of transmuting.
the fact or state of being transmuted.
change into another nature, substance, form, or condition.
Biology. the transformation of one species into another.: Compare transformism.
Physics. any process in which a nuclide is transformed into a different nuclide, usually one of a different element.
Alchemy. the supposed conversion of base metals into metals of greater value, especially into gold or silver.
Origin of transmutation
1Other words from transmutation
- trans·mu·ta·tion·al, trans·mut·a·tive [trans-myoo-tuh-tiv, tranz-], /trænsˈmyu tə tɪv, trænz-/, adjective
- trans·mu·ta·tion·ist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for transmutation
/ (ˌtrænzmjuːˈteɪʃən) /
the act or an instance of transmuting
the change of one chemical element into another by a nuclear reaction
the attempted conversion, by alchemists, of base metals into gold or silver
Derived forms of transmutation
- transmutational or transmutative, adjective
- transmutationist, noun, 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 transmutation
[ trăns′myōō-tā′shən ]
The changing of one chemical element into another. Transmutations occur naturally through radioactive decay, or artificially by bombarding the nucleus of a substance with subatomic particles.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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