commutation

[ kom-yuh-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of substituting one thing for another; substitution; exchange.
2. the changing of a prison sentence or other penalty to another less severe.
3. the act of commuting, as to and from a place of work.
4. the substitution of one kind of payment for another.
5. Electricity. the act or process of commutating.
6. Also called commutation test. Linguistics. the technique, especially in phonological analysis, of substituting one linguistic item for another while keeping the surrounding elements constant, used as a means of determining the constituent units in a sequence and their contrasts with other units.

commutation

/ ˌkɒmjʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. a substitution or exchange
2. 1. the replacement of one method of payment by another
   2. the payment substituted
3. the reduction in severity of a penalty imposed by law
4. the process of commutating an electric current
5. the travelling done by a commuter

Other Words From

• pro·com·mu·ta·tion adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of commutation¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English commutacioun, from Latin commūtātiōn-, stem of commutātiō “change”; equivalent to commute + -ation

Example Sentences

A blanket commutation would realize Mr. Biden’s anti-death-penalty stance and move the United States further along the path to abolition.

From Slate

The commutation of federal death row sentences could be a defining feature of Mr. Biden’s legacy of, as he describes it, restoring “the soul of the nation.”

From Slate

“Unlike previous commutations I’ve granted to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary growth and rehabilitation,” she explained, “this commutation is not based on any rehabilitative efforts by the individuals on death row. Instead, it reflects the recognition that the death penalty is immoral. It is an irreversible punishment that does not allow for correction; is wasteful of taxpayer dollars; does not make communities safer; and cannot be and never has been administered fairly and equitably.”

From Slate

To offer one other example, Biden could learn from what Republican Illinois Gov. George Ryan did in 2003 when he emptied his state’s death row by issuing a blanket commutation to all 167 inmates.

From Slate

These issues, along with the injustice of a government putting anyone to death, provide ample reason for Biden to issue a mass commutation.

From Slate