noun / adjective
mutant
MYOO-tunt/mjˈutʌnt/
An organism or cell changed by a genetic mutation, or having such a change.
The mutant butterfly has unusual coloring compared with the others.
Etymology
The Latin formation meant “changing.” Biology uses it as a noun for the organism or cell that has undergone genetic change, rather than for the change itself.
In context
while the majority of bacterial cells and a glycerol stock or stab should be genetically identical, there may be an occasional mutant hidden within the population.
More examples
- Several mutants survived the changed conditions.
- The mutant cell divided differently from the others.
- Researchers compared the mutant with the original organism.
Forms
mutant · mutants