Definition of "transposon"

Transposon tagging is a powerful technique to identify and clone genes. The successful application of transposon tagging requires previous identification and cloning of a transposon in the species under consideration.

2002, Ahmet Ipek, Introduction of an Ac/Ds Based Two-element Transposon Tagging System and Trans-activation of Ds in Carrot (Daucus Carota L.), University of Wisconsin–Madison, page 44

An alternative approach to the use of retroviruses was to use a DNA transposon to integrate DNA into zebrafish chromosomes.

2003, Karl J. Clark, The Development of Sleeping Beauty Gene-trap Transposons for Insertional Mutagenesis of Vertebrates, University of Minnesota, page 7

Our genome also contains stretches of genetic material called transposons that, at least in some cases, are thought to have been introduced long ago by viruses.

2018 March 26, Nicola Davis, “The human microbiome: why our microbes could be key to our health”, in The Guardian