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

But no matter the permutation, Annie has long represented orphanhood—and how to overcome it—in the American cultural imagination.

From Slate

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

The next permutation of this emerging idea came from Megyn Kelly, who on her podcast on Tuesday mulled an important question about the students protesting the mass murder of civilians in Gaza.

From Slate

According to Roberts, the team came to the decision after conversing with each of the three players — none of them had strong preferences, Roberts said — and contemplating the pros and cons of each lineup permutation.

From Los Angeles Times

Directors can arrange a proscenium stage, an open black box space or a theater in the round — along with every possible permutation in between.

From Los Angeles Times