intransposable
|in-tran-spo-sa-ble|
🇺🇸
/ˌɪntrænˈspoʊzəbəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌɪntrænˈspəʊzəb(ə)l/
cannot be moved or transposed
Etymology
'intransposable' originates from English, formed by the negative prefix 'in-' (from Latin 'in-') added to 'transposable', ultimately from Latin 'transponere', where 'trans-' meant 'across' and 'ponere' meant 'to place'.
'intransposable' changed from the English adjective 'transposable' (itself from Old French/Latin roots such as 'transposer' and Latin 'transponere') with the Modern English prefix 'in-' attached to produce the negative form 'intransposable'.
Initially the components conveyed 'not' + 'able to be placed across', and over time this evolved into the current sense of 'not able to be transposed or moved/changed in position or key'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not transposable; incapable of being transposed, moved, transferred, or rearranged.
The pattern in the design was effectively intransposable; swapping any piece destroyed the whole symmetry.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 2
in a musical or formal context: not able to be transposed (for example, into a different key) without losing essential properties.
This melody is technically intransposable without altering its harmonic relationships.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/23 17:42