— permutational , adj. — permutationist , n.
/perr'myoo tay"sheuhn/ , n.
1. the act of permuting or permutating; alteration; transformation.
2. Math.
a. the act of changing the order of elements arranged in a particular order, as abc into acb, bac, etc., or of arranging a number of elements in groups made up of equal numbers of the elements in different orders, as a and b in ab and ba; a one-to-one transformation of a set with a finite number of elements.
b. any of the resulting arrangements or groups. Cf. combination (def. 8b).
[ 1325-75; ME permutacioun ( permutacion ) permutation- (s. of permutatio ) thoroughgoing change. See PER-, MUTATION, PERMUTE ]
Syn. 1. modification, transmutation, change.