English
mutation
Mutation comes from Latin mūtātiō ‘change, alteration’, and goes back to mūtō.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūtō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūtātiō‘change, alteration’by way of Old French mutacion
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400mutacion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mutacioun‘alteration, change, modification’
- Englishearliest quotation 1984mutation
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūtō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūtātiō‘change, alteration’by way of Old French mutacion
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400mutacion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mutacioun‘alteration, change, modification’
- Englishearliest quotation 1984mutation
Earliest quotation: 1984, Virginia Wildlife: “Birdwatchers would enjoy a host of sparrows, a herd…”
Linked words
through Latin mūtō
commute, mute, mutant, immutable, molt, moult, mutable, commutative, 13 more
Today it means
noun Any alteration or change.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin mūtō / mutation