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word of the day

The word for today is…

permutation (noun) – 1. (a) The process of altering the order of a given set of objects in a group.
(b) The result of such a process; a rearrangement or recombination of elements.
(c) (Mathematics) A rearrangement of the elements of a set.
2. A complete change; a transformation:

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : Permutation has not changed all that much since it was borrowed into Middle English from Anglo-French as permutacioun, meaning “exchange, transformation.” Permutacioun traces back to the Latin verb permutare, meaning “to change thoroughly, exchange,” and ultimately derives from the Latin mutare, “to change.” Other descendants of mutare in English include commute, mutant, and mutual. Permutation also has a specific application in the field of mathematics relating to the ordering of a given set of objects. For example, permutations of items a, b, and c are abc, acb, bac, etc.

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