I. tran(t)ˈsishən, traan-, -nˈzi- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin transition-, transitio, from transitus (past participle of transire to go across, pass) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at transient
1.
a. : a passage or movement from one state, condition, or place to another : change
in what shadowy spot … does the transition from the dead to the quick take place — Treasury of Science
the transition from childhood to adulthood
the abrupt transition of her features from assured pride to ludicrous astonishment and alarm — Arnold Bennett
that evening at the time of transition in the sky — Ethel Wilson
here guided missiles can pass through a complete sea-land transition — J.C.Waugh
an age of transition and flux
b. : a movement, development, or evolution from one stage, form, or style to another usually of a later time or period
the first phase of the movement was more in the nature of a transition than a rebellion — Bernard Smith
the transition of American civilization from agricultural to urban — N.B.Fagin
a transition from native bronze to iron artifacts took place … under the influence of cultural borrowings — R.W.Murray
the transition of early English architecture
a transition … from the inorganic to the organic, from the inanimate to the living — W.R.Inge
2.
a. : a passing from one subject to another especially without abruptness
having told all her griefs … was soon able to make a voluntary transition to the oddities of her cousin — Jane Austen
specifically : a passage of discourse in which a shift of subject is gradually effected
has a bleakly ungraceful habit of making his transitions in the form of a question as a topic sentence — B.H.Bronson
b.
(1) : a musical modulation ; especially : a transient modulation
(2) : a sudden change of key
(3) : a musical passage leading from one section of a piece to another : bridge
c. : a change or moving from one dramatic scene to another usually by a fade, sound effects, music, or narration
uses an onstage narrator who streamlines the transition between scenes — Time
3. : an abrupt change in the energy state or energy level of an atomic electron, a nucleus, or a molecule accompanied in general by the loss or gain of a single quantum of energy — compare quantum theory
II. adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
: of, relating to, or being a biogeographic zone having plants and animals of the zones on each side
the Transition zone between the Boreal and Australian zones of No. America
III. noun
: a genetic mutation in RNA or DNA that results from the substitution of one purine base for the other or of one pyrimidine base for the other
IV. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: transition , noun
: to make a transition
had a difficult time transitioning from a minority to a majority — George Pataki