Crossword Genius

Transform mostly silent gallery (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mutate

'transform' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'mostly silent gallery' is the wordplay.
'mostly' means to remove the last letter.
'silent' becomes 'mum' ('mum' can be a synonym of 'silent').
'gallery' becomes 'tate' (I've seen this before).
'mum' with its last letter taken off is 'mu'.
'mu'+'tate'='MUTATE'

(Other definitions for mutate that I've seen before include "(In genetics) change" , "Alter genetically" , "Change genetic structure" , "Change in basic nature" , "effect major change" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app