Anagrammed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A transformation of a word or phrase achieved by reordering its letters to produce a new term
2. A method of creating a new word or phrase through the rearrangement of the original letters
3. Created by changing the order of letters from a different word or phrase to make a new one

Etymology: "Anagrammed" is the past tense and past participle of "anagram," so it simply means that letters have been rearranged, as in turning "listen" into "silent." The verb's history is that of the noun it comes from. That noun dates to the late 16th century, when it was formed from two Ancient Greek elements: "ana," meaning "up" or "back," and "gramma," meaning "letter." English may have taken it from Middle French "anagramme" or directly from Latin "anagramma," which had itself been built on the same Greek pieces. The "-gram" element is the same one found in words like "telegram" and "monogram," where it refers to something written or drawn. Put together, the Greek parts suggest turning letters back or around, an apt description of the scrambling that the word now names.

Synonyms: rearranged