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transmute verb

Click to hear the UK pronunciation of this wordClick to hear the US pronunciation of this word/trænzˈmjuːt//træns-/ v [I or T usually + adverb or preposition] formal

Definition

to change something completely, especially into something different and better
A few centuries ago alchemists thought they could transmute lead into gold.
specialized Plutonium transmutes into/to uranium when it is processed in a nuclear reactor.

transmutation noun

Click to hear the UK pronunciation of this wordClick to hear the US pronunciation of this word/ˌtrænz.mjuːˈteɪ.ʃən//ˌtræns-/ n [C or U]

(Definition of transmute verb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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