permutation

[ pur-myoo-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of permuting or permutating; alteration; transformation.

   Synonyms: change, transmutation, modification

2. Mathematics.
   1. the act of changing the order of elements arranged in a particular order, as abc into acb, bac, etc., or of arranging a number of elements in groups made up of equal numbers of the elements in different orders, as a and b in ab and ba; a one-to-one transformation of a set with a finite number of elements.
   2. any of the resulting arrangements or groups. Compare combination ( def 8b ).

permutation

/ ˌpɜːmjʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. maths
   1. an ordered arrangement of the numbers, terms, etc, of a set into specified groups

      the permutations of a, b, and c, taken two at a time, are ab, ba, ac, ca, bc, cb

   2. a group formed in this way. The number of permutations of n objects taken r at a time is n !/( n – r )! nPr Compare combination
2. a combination of items made by reordering
3. an alteration; transformation
4. a fixed combination for selections of results on football pools Usually shortened toperm

Derived Forms

• ˌpermuˈtational, adjective

Other Words From

• permu·tation·al adjective
• permu·tation·ist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of permutation¹

1325–75; Middle English permutacioun (< Middle French permutacion ) < Latin permūtātiōn- (stem of permūtātiō ) thoroughgoing change. See per-, mutation, permute

Word History and Origins

Origin of permutation¹

C14: from Latin permūtātiō, from permūtāre to change thoroughly; see mutation

Example Sentences

From a trilogy bout to the winner facing Dubois in an undisputed battle, a number of permutations and outcomes for the division hinge on the result of this rematch.

From BBC

Is there a core to the story or just an endless supply of plot permutations?

From Los Angeles Times

Whatever happens in 2025, despite the seemingly endless permutations, Dubois represents the future of the division, while Joshua seems to belong to the previous era.

From BBC

Media outlets must strive not to repeat any Republican permutation of “election integrity” and must patiently spell out the truth again and again — and then again, as tiresome as that may be.

From Salon

“Let’s Go Brandon,” and any of its permutations, for example, are off limits.

From Seattle Times