metathesis

American  

[muh-tath-uh-sis] / məˈtæθ ə sɪs /

noun

plural

metatheses

1. the transposition of letters, syllables, or sounds in a word, as in the pronunciation for comfortable or for ask.

2. Chemistry. double decomposition.

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metathesis British  

/ mɪˈtæθəsɪs, ˌmɛtəˈθɛtɪk /

noun

1. the transposition of two sounds or letters in a word

2. chem another name for double decomposition

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Other Word Forms

• metathetic adjective
• metathetical adjective

Etymology

Origin of metathesis

First recorded in 1530–40; from Late Latin: literally, “transposition of letters of a word,” from Greek metáthesis “transposition, change”; meta-, thesis

Example Sentences

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

Schrock discovered that two metals, tungsten and molybdenum, were effective catalysts in producing metathesis, which means “changing places.”

From Washington Post

He became particularly interested in metathesis, a word meaning changing places, involving chemical reactions in which two carbon-based molecules exchange fragments under the influence of a third molecule, known as a catalyst.

From Los Angeles Times

What’s going on there is metathesis, and it’s a very common, perfectly natural process.

From The Guardian

He found the freedom to choose his research when he joined the French Petroleum Institute in 1960, and it led to his breakthrough on metathesis.

From New York Times