Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Saltation \Sal*ta"tion\, n. [L. saltatio: cf. F. saltation.]
   1. A leaping or jumping.

            Continued his saltation without pause. --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.

   2. Beating or palpitation; as, the saltation of the great
      artery.

   3. (Biol.) An abrupt and marked variation in the condition or
      appearance of a species; a sudden modification which may
      give rise to new races.

            We greatly suspect that nature does make
            considerable jumps in the way of variation now and
            then, and that these saltations give rise to some of
            the gaps which appear to exist in the series of
            known forms.                          --Huxley.

Source : WordNet®

saltation
     n 1: (geology) the leaping movement of sand or soil particles as
          they are transported in a fluid medium over an uneven
          surface
     2: a mutation that drastically changes the phenotype of an
        organism or species
     3: an abrupt transition; "a successful leap from college to the
        major leagues" [syn: {leap}, {jump}]
     4: taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time
        to music [syn: {dancing}, {dance}, {terpsichore}]
     5: a light springing movement upwards or forwards [syn: {leap},
         {leaping}, {spring}, {bound}, {bounce}]