Interconvertible

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of being changed or exchanged mutually between two or more forms, states, or units; able to be transformed reciprocally without loss or alteration in value or function; describing entities that can be switched back and forth interchangeably
2. Describing elements or substances that can be transformed into one another with ease and equivalence; capable of reciprocal conversion or substitution without changing their essential nature or utility; relating to units or items that can be exchanged in both directions seamlessly
3. Having the property of mutual convertibility, allowing one form to be modified into another and reversed; suitable for interchangeable transformation where each form can become the other; applicable to things that may swap roles or states bidirectionally without distinction

Etymology: "Interconvertible" is a plain compound: the Latin prefix "inter-", meaning "between" or "among", attached to "convertible". The prefix itself goes back through Latin "inter" to a very old root meaning "between", which is why it turns up in so many English words such as "international" and "intercept." "Convertible" is the older and more interesting half. It comes from the Latin "convertere", meaning "to turn around" or "to turn completely", built from "con-" (together, thoroughly) and "vertere" (to turn). From the sense of turning something into another thing comes the idea that two things can be turned into each other. Adding "inter-" makes that reciprocal sense explicit: the change runs both ways, between two states, rather than in a single direction.

Synonyms: exchangeable, interchangeable, convertible, mutually convertible

Antonyms: irreversible, nonconvertible, fixed