məˈtabəsə̇s noun
( plural metaba·ses -bəˌsēz)
Etymology: Greek, from metabainein to change, from meta- + bainein to go, move — more at come
1. : a shift from one subject, point, or division in a discourse to another ; specifically : the rhetorical device used to effect such a shift
2. : a medical change (as of disease, symptoms, or treatment)