Skip to content

The word for today is…

metathesis (noun) -

: a change of place or condition: such as
a: transposition of two phonemes in a word (as in the development of crud from curd or the pronunciation \ˈpər-tē\ for pretty)
b: a chemical reaction in which different kinds of molecules exchange parts to form other kinds of molecules

Source : Merriam-Webster

Etymology : One familiar example of metathesis is the English word thrill, which was thyrlian in Old English and thirlen in Middle English. By the late 16th century, native English speakers had switched the placement of the r to form thrill. Another example is the alteration of curd into crud (the earliest sense of which was, unsurprisingly, curd). It probably won't surprise you to learn that the origin of metathesis lies in the idea of transposition—the word was borrowed into English in the mid-16th century and derives via Late Latin from the Greek verb metatithenai, meaning "to transpose."

If you enjoyed this Good Oil word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.

Latest

An Attack on the Open Society

An Attack on the Open Society

When a prime minister treats the defence of female private space as planetary eccentricity, the open society is already yielding ground. The cost is paid by the very girls and women the liberal order was supposed to protect.

Members Public
Will We Be Pākehā Freeloaders?

Will We Be Pākehā Freeloaders?

‘Why should you pay for these old, Pākehā dudes, living large on the pension your taxes are funding? You’re from Mumbai, Shanghai or South Auckland and they never did anything for you.’

Members Public