permutation

From Middle English permutacioun, permutacyoun, from Old French permutacïon, promutatïon and Medieval Latin permūtātiōnem, accusative of permūtātio.

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

permutation (countable and uncountable, plural permutations)

1. One of the ways something exists, or the ways a set of objects can be ordered.

   Which permutation for completing our agenda items makes the most sense?

2. (mathematics) A one-to-one mapping from a finite set to itself.

   This permutation takes each element to the one following it, with the last mapped back to the first.

3. (mathematics, combinatorics) An ordering of a finite set of distinct elements.

   There are six permutations of three elements, e.g. {abc, acb, bac, bca, cab, cba}.

4. (music) A transformation of a set's prime form, by applying one or more of certain operations, specifically, transposition, inversion, and retrograde.

• (combinatorics): combination

• importunate, premutation

Borrowed from Latin permūtātiō, from permūtāre.

• Audio

  (file)

permutation f (plural permutations)

1. permutation

• interversion

• “permutation” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

permutation c

1. (mathematics) permutation; one-to-one mapping of a finite set to itself
2. (mathematics) permutation; an ordering of a finite set of distinct elements
3. (law) a change of the bylaws or instructions of a foundation from those set out in a testament

• permutera