mutant

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See also: Mutant

English

Etymology

From Latin mūtāns, present participle of mūtō. By surface analysis, muta- +‎ -ant.

Pronunciation

Noun

mutant (plural mutants)

  1. (genetics) That which has mutated, with one or more new characteristics from a mutation.
    • 1918, Paul Popenoe, Roswell Hill Johnson, Applied Eugenics:
      Furthermore, it is possible that there occasionally arises what may be called a mutant of very desirable character from a eugenic point of view.
    • 1922, John Burroughs, The Last Harvest:
      There does seem to have been some mutation among plants [] but in animal life where are the mutants? When or where has a new species originated in this way?
    • 1953, E. Everett Evans, Man of Many Minds:
      "How did I ever get such ability?" he wondered. "No one else in our family has it. Am I some sort of a mutant? But if so, how or why? I never heard Dad or Mother mention it."
  2. (informal) Someone or something that seems strange, abnormal, or bizarre.
    Your neighbor seems to be a mutant; he’s so cringy!
  3. (computing) Synonym of mutex

Translations

Adjective

mutant (not comparable)

  1. (genetics) Of, relating to, undergoing (i.e. mutating), or resulting from change or mutation; that has undergone mutation.
    mutant DNA
    • 2018 April 16, Damian Carrington, “Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles”, in The Guardian:
      Scientists have created a mutant enzyme that breaks down plastic drinks bottles—by accident.
    • 2020 November 8, Ian Sample, “UK scientists seek mutant Covid samples from Danish mink farms”, in The Guardian:
      Researchers at the SSI found that antibodies from people who recovered from coronavirus were less effective at neutralising the mutant strain, but have not made details of their experiments public.
  2. (informal) Strange, abnormal, or bizarre.
    Your mutant brother just growled at me again!
    • 2020 August 26, Heather Stewart, quoting Boris Johnson, “Boris Johnson blames ‘mutant algorithm’ for exams fiasco”, in The Guardian:
      Boris Johnson got an angry response after telling school pupils that the exam results crisis was caused by a “mutant algorithm” and he was glad it had been “sorted out”.

Translations

Derived terms

Further reading

Catalan

Verb

mutant

  1. gerund of mutar

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian мутант (mutant).

Noun

mutant

  1. mutant

Declension

References

Czech

Pronunciation

Noun

mutant m anim

  1. mutant

Declension

Further reading

  • mutant”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
  • mutant”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Pronunciation

Noun

mutant c (singular definite mutanten, plural indefinite mutanter)

  1. mutant (something that has mutated)

Inflection

Synonyms

Further reading

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mutans, present participle of mutare.

Pronunciation

Noun

mutant m (plural mutanten, diminutive mutantje n)

  1. mutant

French

Pronunciation

Adjective

mutant (feminine mutante, masculine plural mutants, feminine plural mutantes)

  1. mutant

Participle

mutant

  1. present participle of muter

Further reading

Latin

Verb

mūtant

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of mūtō

Polish

Pronunciation

Noun

mutant m animal

  1. mutant

Declension

Further reading

  • mutant in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • mutant in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French mutant.

Noun

mutant m (plural mutanți)

  1. mutant

Declension

singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative mutant mutantul mutanți mutanții
genitive-dative mutant mutantului mutanți mutanților
vocative mutantule mutanților

Swedish

Noun

mutant c

  1. a mutant

Declension

See also

References