-üt, usu -üd.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English transmuten, from Latin transmutare to change, shift, from trans- + mutare to change — more at miss
transitive verb
1. : to change or alter in form, appearance, or nature : convert
a pronounced stabilization that will transmute the economic and social life of the African — Peter Scott
the interaction of … forces transmutes custom and produces a new tradition — B.N.Cardozo
— often used with into
how does the chlorophyll … transmute the dross of earth into living tissue — D.C.Peattie
transmute the abundant raw materials … into finished products — A.W.Long
transmute their national integrity into a decisive weapon of national defense — W.O.Douglas
2. : to change into another substance or element especially gold or silver
made it possible to smash atoms and transmute elements — Current Biography
— often used with into
the alchemists … cared little for answers that did not lead them to the philosopher's stone, which would transmute base metals into gold — Lamp
intransitive verb
: to undergo a change or transformation in form, nature, or substance
the music gradually transmutes and builds to a shattering climax — Time
— often used with into
energy converts into matter as naturally as matter transmutes into energy — Gerard Piel
Synonyms: see transform