Randomised

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Made unpredictable or arranged in haphazard order so that no pattern or bias affects the result
2. Ordered or selected by chance rather than according to any systematic method or predetermined sequence
3. Arranged so that each possible outcome has an equal probability, removing any predictable structure or preference

Etymology: "Randomised" is the British spelling of "randomized," and the spelling difference is the only thing the source supports. The root is "random," which English took from Old French "randon," meaning speed, force or impetuosity, a sense tied to the idea of a horse or rider charging headlong. From that rushing sense, "at random" came to describe something done without aim or plan, so a random choice is one where no particular path was chosen. The "-ise" ending is a verb-forming suffix, borrowed through French from Greek "-izein," which turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to make or treat something in a certain way. To randomise something is therefore to make it random, that is, to arrange it so that outcomes depend on chance rather than design. The verb and the adjective share this same sense.

Synonyms: shuffled, scrambled, mixed, jumbled

Antonyms: ordered, organized, arranged, sorted