metathesis
Americannoun
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metatheses
plural
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the transposition of letters, syllables, or sounds in a word, as in the pronunciation for comfortable or for ask.
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Chemistry. double decomposition.
noun
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the transposition of two sounds or letters in a word
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chem another name for double decomposition
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of metathesis
First recorded in 1530–40; from Late Latin: literally, “transposition of letters of a word,” from Greek metáthesis “transposition, change”; see meta-, thesis
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To this purpose, they employed both a chemical reaction called ring-closing metathesis and photocatalysis -- a process in which chemical reactions are promoted by light energy.
From Science Daily ● May 2, 2024
Exploiting a process known as metathesis, in which carbon compounds exchange parts with one another, Grubbs showed how to create a broad range of new products, from environmentally friendly plastics to resins to pharmaceuticals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2021
Schrock discovered that two metals, tungsten and molybdenum, were effective catalysts in producing metathesis, which means “changing places.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 25, 2021
What’s going on there is metathesis, and it’s a very common, perfectly natural process.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 15, 2019
Three of the most important of these are assimilation, dissimilation, and metathesis.
From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Ernest Weekley
No wonder that editor Haug cautioned the young poet against nonsense, obscurity and exaggerated metatheses.
From The Life and Works of Friedrich Schiller by Calvin Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
