metathesis

[ muh-tath-uh-sis ]

/ məˈtæθ ə sɪs /

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noun, plural me·tath·e·ses

[muh-tath-uh-seez]. /məˈtæθ əˌsiz/.

the transposition of letters, syllables, or sounds in a word, as in the pronunciation

[kuhmf-ter-buhl] /ˈkʌmf tər bəl/ for comfortable or

[aks] /æks/ for ask.

Chemistry. double decomposition.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM metathesis

met·a·thet·ic

[met-uh-thet-ik], /ˌmɛt əˈθɛt ɪk/, met·a·thet·i·cal, adjective

Words nearby metathesis

metatarsus varus, metate, metathalamus, metatheory, metatherian, metathesis, metathesize, metathorax, metatoluidine, metatrophic, metatropic dwarfism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use metathesis in a sentence

Metathesis of r is seen in undren 205, in loruerde 103 the scribe has added r by anticipation.
Selections from Early Middle English 1130-1250: Part II: Notes|Various
The living speech is further characterized by innumerable cases of consonantal metathesis and by parasitic nasalization.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5|Various
It seems probable that the word asp in river-names is formed by metathesis from the word aps, p. 27, form 5.
The River-Names of Europe|Robert Ferguson
Mo and do are here changed, by Metathesis and the substitution of one broad vowel for another, into am and ad.
Elements of Gaelic Grammar|Alexander Stewart

Sometimes he lightened the pronunciation by metathesis, as he did when he pronounced interpretor as interpertor.
The Common People of Ancient Rome|Frank Frost Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for metathesis

metathesis

/ (mɪˈtæθəsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)

the transposition of two sounds or letters in a word

chem another name for double decomposition

Derived forms of metathesis

metathetic (ˌmɛtəˈθɛtɪk) or metathetical, adjective

Word Origin for metathesis

C16: from Late Latin, from Greek, from metatithenai to transpose

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for metathesis

metathesis

[ mĭ-tăth′ĭ-sĭs ]

n. pl. me•tath•e•ses (-sēz′)

Double decomposition of chemical compounds in which an element or radical of one compound exchanges places with another element or radical in another compound.