What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Mutation vs Alternative - What's the difference?

mutation | alternative |

As nouns the difference between mutation and alternative

is that mutation is mutation while alternative is alternative.

mutation

Alternative forms

* (abbreviation)

Noun

(en noun)
  • Any alteration or change.
  • (genetics) Any heritable change of the base-pair sequence of genetic material.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= David Van Tassel], [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/lee-dehaan Lee DeHaan
  • , title= Wild Plants to the Rescue , volume=101, issue=3, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Plant breeding is always a numbers game.
  • A mutant.
  • (linguistics) An alteration a particular sound of a word, especially the initial consonant, which is triggered by the word's morphological or syntactic context and not by its phonological context.
  • (rare) A (collective noun) for a collection of thrushes.
  • * 1984 , Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries, Virginia Wildlife , volume 45:
  • Birdwatchers would enjoy a host of sparrows, a herd of swans, a descent of woodpeckers, a herd of wrens, and mutation of thrushes.
  • * 2010 , Doug Bennet, Tim Tiner, The Complete Up North: A Guide to Ontario's Wilderness from Black Flies to the Northern Lights , page 57:
  • Names for a group: A flute or mutation of thrushes.
  • * 2013 , Jason Sacher, A Compendium of Collective Nouns: From an Armory of Aardvarks to a Zeal of Zebras , page 196:
  • A Mutation of Thrushes
    The authors of the books of venery were not predicting Darwin with this term, but taking a cue from a common fable of the time.

    alternative

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities
  • an alternative proposition
  • Not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground (e.g., alternative medicine, alternative lifestyle, (alternative rock)).
  • Other.
  • alternate; reciprocal
  • (Holland)

    Derived terms

    * alternative dispute resolution * alternative energy * alternative lifestyle * alternative medicine * alternative press * alternative vote

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A situation which allows a mutually exclusive choice between two or more possibilities; a choice between two or more possibilities.
  • * 1817 , (Walter Scott), Rob Roy , XI:
  • ‘The cloister or a betrothed husband?’ I echoed—‘Is that the alternative destined for Miss Vernon?’
  • One of several mutually exclusive things which can be chosen.
  • The remaining option; something available after other possibilities have been exhausted.
  • Synonyms

    * See also

    See also

    *

    References

    * * ----