Metathesize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To switch the positions of sounds or letters within a word so that the sequence changes, as in turning one form into another by reversing order
2. Rearranging the sounds or letters of a word so that they swap places, a process that alters the word's spelling or pronunciation
3. Making a change in which the order of letters or sounds within a term is reversed or shuffled into a different arrangement

Etymology: Metathesis, the transposition of sounds or letters within a word (as in "aks" for "ask"), comes from Greek "metathesis," meaning "a placing across" or "transposition," built from "meta" (across, change) and "thesis" (a placing). The verb "metathesize" is simply that noun turned into an action: to undergo or cause such a transposition. Its suffix does most of the work. The "-ize" ending descends from Greek "-izein," which turned nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning "to make into" or "to treat in the manner of." That Greek suffix passed through Late Latin "-izare," then Old French "-iser," and reached Middle English as "-isen" before settling into the modern "-ize." The suffix's journey is the more surprising part. English adopted this one ending for countless verbs, so "metathesize" is a fairly transparent formation, built the way "criticize" or "hypothesize" were, and its root is the Greek noun, not a word coined from scratch in English.

Synonyms: transpose, interchange, invert