Metathesis

Pronunciation

• US IPA: mÉ›.ˈtæ.θə.sɪs

Origin

From Late Latin metathesis, from Ancient Greek μετάθεσις, from μετά (meta, "among") + θέσις (thesis, "placement").

Full definition of metathesis

Noun

1. (prosody) the transposition of letters, syllables or sounds within a word, such as in ask as /æks/
2. (inorganic chemistry) the double decomposition of inorganic salts
3. (organic chemistry) the breaking and reforming of double bonds in olefins in which substituent groups are swapped

Related terms

• metathetic
• metathesize

Anagrams

• thematises