Here is the definition used by the World Health Organization: "Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology”, sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between nonrelated species. Foods produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM foods."
So your example 'all are genetically modified from a (or multiple) common ancestor(s) through mutation and selection over hundreds or thousands of years for traits deemed desirable' is not the same thing at all.
As for the process being 'speeded up', as you say, here's a quote from wikipedia: "Roundup Ready Soybeans express a version of EPSPS from the CP4 strain of the bacteria,
Agrobacterium tumefaciens, expression of which is regulated by an enhanced 35S promoter (E35S) from cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV), a chloroplast transit peptide (CTP4) coding sequence from Petunia hybrida, and a nopaline synthase (nos 3') transcriptional termination element from Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
[7] The plasmid with EPSPS and the other genetic elements mentioned above was inserted into soybean germplasm with a
gene gun by scientists at Monsanto and Asgrow." I'm sorry, but selective breeding will never put genes from petunias, bacteria, cauliflower, or anything else into those soybeans.
