Where does “mutate” come from?
Mutate comes from Latin muto, derived from Latin moveo meaning "to move," which traces to Proto-Indo-European mew-.
mutate (English): To undergo mutation; To cause mutation
Definitions
- To undergo mutation; To cause mutation
Ancestry of “mutate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mutation | Any alteration or change; Any heritable change of... |
| 2 | Middle English | mutacioun | alteration, change, modification |
| 3 | Old French | mutacion | alteration; change |
| 4 | Latin | mutatio | change, alteration; interchange, exchange |
| 5 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 6 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 7 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 8 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 9 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 10 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 11 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |