Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The act or an instance of transmuting; transformation.
- noun The state of being transmuted.
- noun Physics Transformation of one element into another by one or a series of nuclear reactions.
- noun The supposed conversion of base metals into gold or silver in alchemy.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The act of transmuting, or the state of being transmuted: change into another substance, form, or nature.
- noun In alchemy, the changing of baser metals into metals of greater value, especially into gold or silver.
- noun In geometry, the change or reduction of one figure or body into another of the same area or solidity but of a different form, as of a triangle into a square; transformation.
- noun In biology, the change of one species into another by any means; transpeciation; transformism. The history of the idea or of the fact runs parallel with that of transformism, from an early crude or vulgar notion akin to that involved in the alchemy of metals (see above) to the modern scientific conception of transmutation as an evolutionary process, or the gradual modification of one species into another by descent with modification through many generations.
- noun Successive change; alternation; interchange.
- noun Synonyms See
transform , transitive verb
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The act of transmuting, or the state of being transmuted.
- noun (Geom.), rare The change or reduction of one figure or body into another of the same area or solidity, but of a different form, as of a triangle into a square.
- noun (Biol.) The change of one species into another, which is assumed to take place in any development theory of life; transformism.
- noun (Alchem.) the conversion of base metals into gold or silver, a process often attempted by the alchemists. See
Alchemy , and Philosopher's stone, underPhilosopher .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun the act of
transmuting or the state of beingtransmuted - noun the
supposed transformation ofbase metals intogold by thealchemists - noun physics the transformation of one
element into another by anuclear reaction
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun (physics) the change of one chemical element into another (as by nuclear decay or radioactive bombardment)
- noun an act that changes the form or character or substance of something
- noun a qualitative change
Etymologies
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Examples
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The analysis made by Cockcroft and Walton of the energy relations in a transmutation is of particular interest, because a verification was provided by this analysis for Einstein's law concerning the equivalence of mass and energy.
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But they were also fascinated with the idea of transmutation and believed in a sort of infinite mutability of matter.
The Alchemist's Lab 2004
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In the Middle Ages, and, indeed, down to the time of that great philosopher, Sir Isaac Newton, who was himself bitten with the craze, it was widely believed that, by what was known as transmutation, the baser metals might be changed to gold; and much time and trouble were expended in attempts to make gold -- needless to say without the desired result.
Getting Gold: a practical treatise for prospectors, miners and students
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In 1809 Lamarck introduced the idea of transmutation of species, suggesting that by changes in habitat, climate, and manner of living one species may, in the course of generations, be transformed into a new and distinct species.
The World's Greatest Books — Volume 15 — Science Various 1909
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A girl should know something of what I have elsewhere called the transmutation of sex as it shows itself in the higher as distinguished from the lower types of manhood: she should know that it is good for a youth to spend his energy in visible ways and in the light of day; there is the less likelihood that it is being spent otherwise.
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While the names of Darwin and Goethe, and in particular that of Lamarck, must always stand out in high relief in this generation as the exponents of the idea of transmutation of species, there are a few others which must not be altogether overlooked in this connection.
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But in that day there was little proof forthcoming of its validity that could satisfy any one but a poet, and when Erasmus Darwin died, in 1802, the idea of transmutation of species was still but an unsubstantiated dream.
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But the time was not yet ripe for the idea of transmutation of species to burst its bonds.
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The very persons who had most eagerly accepted the idea of transmutation of European species into American species, and similar limited variations through changed environment, because of the relief thus given the otherwise overcrowded ark, were now foremost in denouncing such an extension of the doctrine of transmutation as Lamarck proposed.
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Not long after the middle of the eighteenth century Buffon had put forward the idea of transmutation of species, and he reiterated it from time to time from then on till his death in 1788.
whichbe commented on the word transmutation
In a super power, this would be the ability to transform atoms into different types of atoms.
May 15, 2008