Personal Ministry of Steve Kellar
” O blessed change, O sweet permutation!” ”
–Justin Martyr
October 11, 2010
World English Dictionary
permutation (ËŒpÉœËmjʊˈteɪʃən)
“” n
1. maths
a. an ordered arrangement of the numbers, terms, etc, of a set into specified groups: the permutations of a, b, and c, taken two at a time, are ab, ba, ac, ca, bc, cb
b. Compare combination n P r a group formed in this way. The number of permutations of n objects taken r at a time is n !/( n — r )!
2. a combination of items made by reordering
3. an alteration; transformation
4. Usually shortened to: perm a fixed combination for selections of results on football pools
[C14: from Latin permÅ«tÄtiÅ, from permÅ«tÄre to change thoroughly; see mutation ]
permu’tational
“” adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin & History
permutation
mid-14c., from O.Fr. permutacion (14c.), from L. permutationem (nom. permutatio ), from permutatus , pp. of permutare “change thoroughly, exchange,” from per- “thoroughly” + mutare “to change” (see mutable).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
December 1, 2011
April 9, 2017
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