Advertisement
Entries linking to mutagen
mutation (n.)
late 14c., mutacioun, "action or process of changing," from Old French mutacion (13c.), and directly from Latin mutationem (nominative mutatio) "a changing, alteration, a turn for the worse," noun of action from past-participle stem of mutare "to change" (from PIE root *mei- (1) "to change, go, move"). The genetics sense "process whereby heritable changes in DNA arise" is from 1894. The linguist's i-mutation is attested from 1874; earlier was i-umlaut (1869), from German, for which mutation was Sweet's English substitute.
-gen word-forming element technically meaning "something produced," but mainly, in modern use, "thing that produces or causes," from French -gène (18c.), from Greek -genes "born of, produced by," which is from the same source as genos "birth," genea "race, family," from PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget," with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups. First used in late 18th century French chemistry (see oxygen), it probably involves a misunderstanding of -genes, as though it meant "that which produces."
Share mutagen
‘cite’
Page URL:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/mutagen
HTML Link:
<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/mutagen">Etymology of mutagen by etymonline</a>
APA style:
Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of mutagen. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/mutagen
Chicago style:
Harper Douglas, “Etymology of mutagen,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/mutagen.
MLA style:
Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of mutagen.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/mutagen. Accessed $(datetimeMla).
IEEE style:
D. Harper. “Etymology of mutagen.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/mutagen (accessed $(datetime)).
Advertisement
Advertisement
Definitions of mutagen
mutagen (n.)
any agent (physical or environmental) that can induce a genetic mutation or can increase the rate of mutation;
Dictionary entries near mutagen
muster
mustn't
musty
mutability
mutable
mutagen
mutant
mutate
mutation
mutatis mutandis
mute