mə̇ˈtathəsə̇s noun
( plural metathe·ses -ˌsēz)
Etymology: Late Latin transposition of letters, from Greek, from metatithenai to transpose, from meta- + tithenai to place, set — more at do
1. : a change of place or condition : reversal ; specifically : transposition of two phonemes in a word (as in Old English wæsp, wæps )
2. : double decomposition