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transform

 - 7 dictionary results

trans⋅form

  [v. trans-fawrm; n. trans-fawrm]
Use transform in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose.
2. to change in condition, nature, or character; convert.
3. to change into another substance; transmute.
4. Electricity.
a. to increase or decrease (the voltage and current characteristics of an alternating-current circuit), as by means of a transformer.
b. to decrease (the voltage and current characteristics of a direct-current circuit), as by means of a transformer.
5. Mathematics. to change the form of (a figure, expression, etc.) without in general changing the value.
6. Physics. to change into another form of energy.
–verb (used without object)
7. to undergo a change in form, appearance, or character; become transformed.
–noun
8. Mathematics.
a. a mathematical quantity obtained from a given quantity by an algebraic, geometric, or functional transformation.
b. the transformation itself.
9. the result of a transformation.
10. a transformation.
11. Logic. transformation (def. 5).
12. Linguistics. a structure derived by a transformation.
Origin:
1300–50; ME transformen < L trānsfōrmāre to change in shape. See trans-, form

Related forms:
trans⋅form⋅a⋅ble, adjective
trans⋅form⋅a⋅tive, adjective

Synonyms:
1. transfigure. Transform, convert mean to change one thing into another. Transform suggests changing from one form, appearance, structure, or type to another: to transform soybeans into oil and meal by pressure. Convert suggests so changing the characteristics as to change the use or purpose: to convert a barn into a house.

trans⋅for⋅ma⋅tion

  [trans-fer-mey-shuhn]
–noun
1. the act or process of transforming.
2. the state of being transformed.
3. change in form, appearance, nature, or character.
4. Theater. a seemingly miraculous change in the appearance of scenery or actors in view of the audience.
5. Logic. Also called transform. one of a set of algebraic formulas used to express the relations between elements, sets, etc., that form parts of a given system.
6. Mathematics.
a. the act, process, or result of transforming or mapping.
b. function (def. 4a).
7. Linguistics.
a. transformational rule.
b. the process by which deep structures are converted into surface structures using transformational rules.
8. Genetics. the transfer of genetic material from one cell to another resulting in a genetic change in the recipient cell.
9. a wig or hairpiece for a woman.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < LL trānsfōrmātiōn- (s. of trānsfōrmātiō) change of shape. See trans-, formation

Related forms:
trans⋅for⋅ma⋅tion⋅al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To transform
trans·form   (trāns-fôrm')   
v.   trans·formed, trans·form·ing, trans·forms

v.   tr.

  1. To change markedly the appearance or form of: "A thick, fibrous fog had transformed the trees into ghosts and the streetlights into soft, haloed moons" (David Michael Kaplan).

  2. To change the nature, function, or condition of; convert. See Synonyms at convert.

  3. Mathematics To subject to a transformation.

  4. Electricity To subject to the action of a transformer.

  5. Genetics To subject (a cell) to transformation.

v.   intr.
To undergo a transformation.
n.   (trāns'fôrm')
The result, especially a mathematical quantity or linguistic construction, of a transformation.

[Middle English transformen, from Old French transformer, from Latin trānsfōrmāre : trāns-, trans- + fōrma, form.]
trans·form'a·ble adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

transform 
c.1340, from O.Fr. transformer, from L. transformare "change the shape or form of," from trans- "across" + formare "to form" (see form). Transformer "device to reduce electrical currents" is first recorded 1883, from Fr. transformateur (1882).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: trans·form
Pronunciation: tran(t)s-'fo(&)rm
Function: transitive verb
: to cause to change: as a : to change (acurrent) in potential (as from high voltage to low) or in type (as from alternating to direct) b : to cause (a cell) to undergo genetic transformation transform intransitivesenses
: to become transformed

Main Entry: trans·for·ma·tion
Pronunciation: "tran(t)s-f&r-'mA-sh&n, -for-
Function: noun
1 : an act, process, orinstance of transforming or being transformed —see MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION
2 a : genetic modification of a bacterium by incorporation of free DNA from another ruptured bacterial cell —compare TRANSDUCTION2 b : genetic modification of a cell by the uptake and incorporation of exogenous DNA
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

transformation trans·for·ma·tion (trāns'fər-mā'shən, -fôr-)
n.

  1. See metamorphosis.

  2. The genetic alteration of a bacterial cell by introduction of DNA from another cell or from a virus.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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