metathesis

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“
But she drops her voice somewhat to disguise her feats of metathesis, about which she has doubts and which are involuntary: the "stand-wash," the "sweeping-crosser," the "sewing chamine."

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Definitions (8)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun Linguistics Transposition within a word of letters, sounds, or syllables, as in the change from Old English brid to modern English bird or in the confusion of modren for modern.
  2. noun Chemistry Double decomposition.

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Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples

  • But she drops her voice somewhat to disguise her feats of metathesis, about which she has doubts and which are involuntary: the "stand-wash," the "sweeping-crosser," the "sewing chamine." —  The Children
  • (two or more meanings attached to the same word), metathesis —  VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XI No 3
  • (also spelt sillabub) ` a drink or dish made of milk or cream, curdled by the admixture of wine, cider, or other acid, and often sweetened or flavored 'is a corruption (involving metathesis) of the Italian zabaglione, which is after all a pretty similar concoction. —  VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol VI No 1
  • The fixing of this orthographic metathesis from hw - to wh - coincides with the advent of the English printing press [Caxton: —  VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol X No 3
  • But she drops her voice somewhat to disguise her feats of metathesis, about which she has doubts and which are involuntary: the —  Essays
 

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Metathesis has been looked up 256 times, favorited once, listed 18 times, and commented on once.

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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Late Latin, from Greek, from metatithenai, to transpose : meta-, meta- + tithenai, to place; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Late Latin, from Greek μετάθεσις, transposition, metathesis, from μετατίθεναι, put over, transpose, from μετά, over, + τιθέναι, put: see thesis.
 

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/mɛˈtæθɛsɪs/
by American Heritage

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