transformation in WordNet English dictionary

1. a qualitative change
   transformation  transmutation  shift 
   
2. the act of changing in form or shape or appearance
   "a photograph is a translation of a scene onto a two-dimensional surface"
   transformation  translation 
   
3. (genetics) modification of a cell or bacterium by the uptake and incorporation of exogenous DNA
   transformation 
   
4. a rule describing the conversion of one syntactic structure into another related syntactic structure
   transformation 
   
5. (mathematics) a function that changes the position or direction of the axes of a coordinate system
   transformation