transition

[tran-zish-uhn, -sish-]

noun

1. movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change.

   The transition from adolescence to adulthood can be difficult.

   Synonyms: conversion, passing, changeover

2. Music.

   1. a passing from one key to another; modulation.

   2. a brief modulation; a modulation used in passing.

   3. a sudden, unprepared modulation.

3. a passage from one scene to another by sound effects, music, etc., as in a television program, theatrical production, or the like.

4. Also called gender transition. the process by which a transgender person comes to openly express their gender identity, including changes to their way of dressing, acting, or speaking, to their pronouns, name, or legal gender marker, or to their physical characteristics via hormone therapy and surgery.

   When I began my transition, there was very little information online about testosterone.

verb (used without object)

1. to make a transition.

   He had difficulty transitioning from enlisted man to officer.

2. (of a transgender person) to move toward openly expressing one's gender identity, often by making changes to one's way of dressing, acting, or speaking, to one's pronouns, name, or legal gender marker, or to one's physical characteristics via hormone therapy and surgery.

   My friend is transitioning socially, but she doesn't want hormone therapy or surgery.

transition

/ trænˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. change or passage from one state or stage to another

2. the period of time during which something changes from one state or stage to another

3. music

   1. a movement from one key to another; modulation

   2. a linking passage between two divisions in a composition; bridge

4. Also called: transitional. a style of architecture that was used in western Europe in the late 11th and early 12th century, characterized by late Romanesque forms combined with early Gothic details

5. physics

   1. any change that results in a change of physical properties of a substance or system, such as a change of phase or molecular structure

   2. a change in the configuration of an atomic nucleus, involving either a change in energy level resulting from the emission of a gamma-ray photon or a transformation to another element or isotope

6. a sentence, passage, etc, that connects a topic to one that follows or that links sections of a written work

Other Word Forms

• transitional adjective
• transitionary adjective
• transitionally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of transition¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin trānsitiōn-, stem of trānsitiō “passage, transit across,” from trānsit(us) “gone across” (past participle of trānsīre “to go across, pass over”; transit ) + -iō -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of transition¹

C16: from Latin transitio ; see _transient

Example Sentences

But by the early 20th century, orchardists were largely transitioning to a handful of more commercially viable fruit.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She suffered a "difficult transition" and was put on the school's watch list due to the fact her dad had died after being hit by a car while cycling when she was two.

Read more on BBC

“If nobody increases their output, prices will stay really high. If one person raises their output, it could crash the prices for everybody,” said Ryan Luther, director of energy transition research at data firm Enverus.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Green and low-carbon transition is the trend of our time,” Xi said in a video message to the United Nations on Wednesday.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some founders may feel, “I am indispensable, and I don’t want to give my baby to one person,” said Ranjay Gulati, a professor at Harvard Business School who has studied leadership transitions among startup CEOs.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• changeover 
• conversion 
• development 
• evolution 
• growth 
• passage 
• progress 
• progression 
• shift 
• transformation 
• upheaval