transpositions
|trans-po-si-tions|
🇺🇸
/ˌtrænspəˈzɪʃənz/
🇬🇧
/ˌtrænspəˈzɪʃ(ə)nz/
(transposition)
moving or putting across (change of position)
Etymology
'transposition' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'transpositio' (from 'transponere'), where 'trans-' meant 'across' and 'ponere' meant 'to place'.
'transposition' came into English via Medieval Latin 'transpositio' (and Old French influence) and entered Middle English as 'transposition', preserving the structure from Latin 'transponere' ('trans-' + 'ponere').
Initially, it meant 'the act of placing across or moving across'; over time it evolved into the more specific senses used today: changing musical key, swapping positions (mathematics), or movement of genetic material.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of transposition: a change of key or pitch in a piece of music so it can be played or sung in a different register.
The choir director prepared several transpositions of the song so different voice groups could sing comfortably.
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Noun 2
plural of transposition: in mathematics (especially in permutation theory), operations that swap two elements' positions; simple 2-element permutations.
In the lesson on permutations, the professor illustrated how transpositions generate the symmetric group.
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Noun 3
plural of transposition: the movement or insertion of a segment of DNA from one location to another (genetics / molecular biology).
The study documented multiple transpositions of mobile genetic elements across the genome.
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Last updated: 2025/09/25 17:41