TRANSMUTATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does transmutation mean? 

• TRANSMUTATION (noun)
  The noun TRANSMUTATION has 3 senses:

1. an act that changes the form or character or substance of something

2. a qualitative change

3. (physics) the change of one chemical element into another (as by nuclear decay or radioactive bombardment)

  Familiarity information: TRANSMUTATION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TRANSMUTATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An act that changes the form or character or substance of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

transmutation; transubstantiation

Hypernyms ("transmutation" is a kind of...):

conversion (the act of changing from one use or function or purpose to another)

Derivation:

transmute (change or alter in form, appearance, or nature)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A qualitative change

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

shift; transformation; transmutation

Hypernyms ("transmutation" is a kind of...):

alteration; change; modification (an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "transmutation"):

advance; betterment; improvement (a change for the better; progress in development)

population shift (a change in the relative numbers of the different groups of individuals making up a population)

pyrolysis (transformation of a substance produced by the action of heat)

sea change (a profound transformation)

sublimation ((chemistry) a change directly from the solid to the gaseous state without becoming liquid)

tin disease; tin pest; tin plague (the transformation of ordinary white tin into powdery grey tin at very cold temperatures)

changeover; conversion; transition (an event that results in a transformation)

degeneration; retrogression (passing from a more complex to a simpler biological form)

strengthening (becoming stronger)

weakening (becoming weaker)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(physics) the change of one chemical element into another (as by nuclear decay or radioactive bombardment)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

the transmutation of base metals into gold proved to be impossible

Hypernyms ("transmutation" is a kind of...):

alteration; change; modification (an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another)

Domain category:

natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)

Derivation:

transmute (alter the nature of (elements))

 Context examples 

"O that all your song-transmutations were as successful!" she laughed.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Walt won in the end, and his victory was most probably due to the fact that he was a man, though Madge averred that they would have had another quarter of a mile of gurgling brook, and at least two west winds sighing through their redwoods, had Wait properly devoted his energies to song-transmutation and left Wolf alone to exercise a natural taste and an unbiassed judgment.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)