Transmute
[tranz-MYOOT]
Part of speech: verb
Origin: Latin, 15th century
1.
Change in form, nature, or substance.
2.
Subject (base metals) to alchemical transmutation.
Examples of Transmute in a sentence
"The goal of ancient alchemy was to transmute lead into gold."
"Shane left the ROTC transmuted into an athlete."
About Transmute
The key Latin root of “transmute” is “mūtāre,” meaning “to change.” To this, the word adds the Latin prefix “trans-,” meaning “across” or “beyond.” Together, they suggest a change that moves beyond the original form, nature, or substance.
Did you Know?
Beginning in the 17th century, the verb “transmute” became closely associated with alchemy, the practice of attempting to turn a base metal (copper, lead, nickel, zinc) into a precious metal (gold, silver). Today, alchemy is thought of as an esoteric occult practice, but it was taken seriously as a branch of science and philosophy for centuries, faltering only with the rise of the scientific method and modern scientific expectations that theories must be proved with experiments.
