saltation
a dancing, hopping, or leaping movement.
an abrupt movement or transition.
Geology. intermittent, leaping movement of particles of sand or gravel, as from the force of wind or running water.
Biology.
a sudden discontinuity in a line of descent.
a mutation.
Origin of saltation
1Other words from saltation
- sal·ta·tion·al, adjective
Words Nearby saltation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use saltation in a sentence
As an adaptation to saltation the tibia would elongate at the expense of the femur and the index would be more than 100.
Speciation in the Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys ordii | Henry W. SetzerLong tail and long hind foot would seem to be specializations for saltation and the two would be expected to be correlated.
Speciation in the Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys ordii | Henry W. SetzerLife must be taken with a grain of saltation: let the spirit dance a measure or two ere it collapse.
Pipefuls | Christopher Morleysaltation is downwind movement of particles in a series of jumps or skips.
Deserts | A. S. WalkerParticles are transported by winds through suspension, saltation, and creep.
Deserts | A. S. Walker
British Dictionary definitions for saltation
/ (sælˈteɪʃən) /
biology an abrupt variation in the appearance of an organism, species, etc, usually caused by genetic mutation
geology the leaping movement of sand or soil particles carried in water or by the wind
a sudden abrupt movement or transition
Origin of saltation
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for saltation
[ săl-tā′shən, sôl- ]
A single mutation that drastically alters the phenotype.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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