[mu.ta.tion] n (14c) 1: a significant and basic alteration: change
2: umlaut 3 a: a relatively permanent change in hereditary material involving either a physical change in chromosome relations or a biochemical change in the codons that make up genes; also: the process of producing a mutation b: an individual strain or trait resulting from mutation -- mu.ta.tion.al adj -- mu.ta.tion.al.ly adv