commutation
Substitution of one thing for another; interchange.
Noun archaic, countable
- Substitution of one thing for another; interchange.
- Specifically, the substitution of one kind of payment for another, especially a switch to monetary payment from obligations of labour.
- Professor Postan has argued in favour of a rapid move towards commutation in the twelfth century which slackened or even went into reverse in the course of the thirteenth. - 1969, Philip Ziegler, The Black Death, Folio...
- The change to a lesser penalty or punishment by the State
- Monsieur the Marquis de Sade [was] now holed up in one of his châteaux while his wife worked for the commutation of a sentence passed on him recently for poisoning and buggery. - 1992, Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater...
- Substitution, as a means of discriminating between phonemes.
- The reversal of an electric current.
- A passing from one state to another; change; alteration; mutation.
- The act of giving one thing for another; barter; exchange.
Origin
From French commutation, from Latin commūtātiōnem, accusative singular of commūtātiō.
Forms
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Derived
Noun US, countable
- The process or habit of journeying to and from work on a regular basis; commuting.
- but there was no city officer to stand forth and ask for it — not even so much as to require frequent trains, low fares, and commutations on that part of the road which ran within the city limits. - 1879, WR Martin,...
- These permit the limited number willing to abandon their automobiles for long hikes to visit some of the most rugged terrain in Southern California. Major resort centers with substantial year-around residence (and much...
- After decades of complaint that cities are exploited by suburban commuters, the American metropolis is experiencing more and more commutation in the other direction. In some metropolitan areas, there is as much...
Origin
Etymology tree English commute Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English commutation From commute + -ation.