Transformations. Metamorphoses. Evolutions. There are lots of great visual examples of course. But in E.J. Kahn, Jr.'s
Year of Change: More About The New Yorker and Me (NY: Viking, 1988), he talks about his preoccupation with "bridging the lexicographical gap" between two (preferably antonymous) words, for example,
love and
hate (love-lave-have-hate);
cock and
crow (cock-cook-cool-fool-foul-soul-sour-slur-slum-glum-glim-grim-gram-cram-craw-crow); and
frown and
smile (frown-grown-grows-glows-slows-stows-stops-stope-stole-stile-smile).