transpose

[verb trans-pohz; noun trans-pohz]

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verb (used with object), trans·posed, trans·pos·ing.

to change the relative position, order, or sequence of; cause to change places; interchange: to transpose the third and fourth letters of a word.

to transfer or transport.

Algebra. to bring (a term) from one side of an equation to the other, with corresponding change of sign.

Mathematics. (of a matrix) to interchange rows and columns.

Music. to reproduce in a different key, by raising or lowering in pitch.

to transform; transmute.

verb (used without object), trans·posed, trans·pos·ing.

to perform a piece of music in a key other than the one in which it is written: to transpose at sight.

noun

Mathematics. a matrix formed from a given matrix by transposing.

Origin of transpose

1350–1400; Middle English transposen to transmute < Middle French transposer. See trans-, pose¹

Related formstrans·pos·a·ble, adjectivetrans·pos·a·bil·i·ty, nountrans·pos·er, nounnon·trans·pos·a·ble, adjectivenon·trans·pos·ing, adjectiveun·trans·posed, adjective

Synonyms for transpose

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1, 5. rearrange. 3. invert.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for transpose

transmute, render, backtrack, move, commute, substitute, interchange, inverse, transfer, invert, transform, flip-flop, relocate, translate, alter, exchange, metamorphose, rearrange, transmogrify, put

Examples from the Web for transpose

Contemporary Examples of transpose

These discs, titled Miracle, transpose the invisible concept of ālaya into a tangible object.
Mariko Mori Rebirth at the Japan Society
Justin Jones
October 10, 2013

Historical Examples of transpose

Transpose it into platinum or uranium—anything good and heavy.
The Galaxy Primes
Edward Elmer Smith
See whether you can transpose these suggestions into the terms of your problem.
The Good Housekeeping Marriage Book
Various
Substitute Roman figures for the Arabic numerals, and transpose the letters.
Chatterbox, 1906
Various
But I can transpose to any of the copies of my portrait, anywhere.
The Gallery
Roger Phillips Graham
To transpose a quantity from one side of an equation to another is to place it across.
Orthography
Elmer W. Cavins

British Dictionary definitions for transpose

transpose

verb

(tr) to alter the positions of; interchange, as words in a sentence; put into a different order

music

to play (notes, music, etc) in a different key from that originally intended
to move (a note or series of notes) upwards or downwards in pitch

(tr) maths to move (a term) from one side of an equation to the other with a corresponding reversal in sign

noun

maths the matrix resulting from interchanging the rows and columns of a given matrix

Derived Formstransposable, adjectivetransposability, nountransposal, nountransposer, noun

Word Origin for transpose

C14: from Old French transposer, from Latin transpōnere to remove, from trans- + pōnere to place

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

Word Origin and History for transpose

late 14c., from Old French transposer (14c.), from Latin transponere (past participle transpositus) "to place over," from trans- "over" (see trans-) + ponere "to put, place" (see position). Form altered in French on model of poser "to put, place." Sense of "put music in a different key" is from c.1600. Related: Transposed; transposing.

transpose in Medicine

transpose

[trăns-pōz′]

v.

To transfer one tissue, organ, or part to the place of another.

transpose in Science

transpose

[trăns-pōz′]

To move a term or quantity from one side of an algebraic equation to the other by adding or subtracting that term to or from both sides. By subtracting 2 from both sides of the equation 2 + x = 4, one can transpose the 2 to the other side, yielding x = 4 - 2, and thus determine that x equals 2.