saltation
noun
[ salˈteɪʃ(ə)n ]
• abrupt evolutionary change; sudden large-scale mutation.
• "new genetic characters appear suddenly by saltation"
• the transport of hard particles over an uneven surface in a turbulent flow of air or water.
• "the distance travelled by each grain during saltation"
• the action of leaping or dancing.
Origin:
early 17th century (in saltation (sense 3)): from Latin saltatio(n- ), from saltare ‘to dance’, frequentative of salire ‘to leap’.
