Search Result for "transmutation": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (3)

1. an act that changes the form or character or substance of something;
[syn: transmutation, transubstantiation]

2. a qualitative change;
[syn: transformation, transmutation, shift]

3. (physics) the change of one chemical element into another (as by nuclear decay or radioactive bombardment);
- Example: "the transmutation of base metals into gold proved to be impossible"


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Transmutation \Trans`mu*ta"tion\, n. [F. transmutation, L. transmutatio. See Transmute.] 1. The act of transmuting, or the state of being transmuted; as, the transmutation of metals. [1913 Webster] 2. (Geom.) 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. [R.] [1913 Webster] 3. (Biol.) The change of one species into another, which is assumed to take place in any development theory of life; transformism. --Bacon. [1913 Webster] Transmutation of metals (Alchem.), the conversion of base metals into gold or silver, a process often attempted by the alchemists. See Alchemy, and Philosopher's stone, under Philosopher. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

transmutation n 1: an act that changes the form or character or substance of something [syn: transmutation, transubstantiation] 2: a qualitative change [syn: transformation, transmutation, shift] 3: (physics) the change of one chemical element into another (as by nuclear decay or radioactive bombardment); "the transmutation of base metals into gold proved to be impossible"