mutate

/ˈmjuteɪt/

/ˈmjuteɪt/

Other forms: mutated; mutating; mutates

To mutate is to change, especially genetically. When plants mutate, their genes change in a way that makes them look, grow, or reproduce differently.

The word mutate comes up most often in biology, to describe the natural — or artificial — process of genetic change. If a scientist alters an animal’s DNA, for example, it mutates. Another way that scientists mutate organisms is in food production: often the genes in a plant are changed in a way that helps it resist insects or weeds, or makes it grow much larger than normal. The Latin root word of mutate is mutare, which simply means "to change."

Definitions of mutate

1. verb

   undergo mutation
   “cells mutate”

   types:

   revert

   undergo reversion, as in a mutation

   type of:

   change

   undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature