Transposition
/ˌtrænspəˈzɪʃən/noun
The act of moving something from one position or place to another, especially by rearranging or substituting elements.
Did you know?Transposition comes from Latin and originally had the plain, physical sense of “placing across,” but in music and mathematics it became a powerful word for changing a pattern without destroying its identity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sta-
“to stand”
Latin
Latin
ponere
“to place, set, put”
Latin
Latin
trans-
“across, beyond”
Late Latin
Latin
transpositio
“a putting across; transfer, removal”
Old French
Old French
transposition
“transfer, change of place”
14th-15th Century
English
transposition
“the act of placing across or changing position”
Modern English
English
transposition
“the act of moving or rearranging something into a different position”