Randomises

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Arranges or alters something so that its order, selection, or outcome becomes unpredictable and subject to chance rather than following a set pattern
2. Makes something lack any discernible order or system by introducing elements of randomness so no predetermined sequence governs the result
3. Converts a structured or ordered arrangement into one where events or elements occur in no fixed sequence, governed by probability rather than design

Etymology: "Randomises" is the third-person singular form of "randomise", so the history belongs to the verb itself. The verb is built from "random" and the suffix "-ise", a combination that English has used for centuries to turn nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning to make something into a certain state. The adjective "random" has a surprisingly Frankish-tinged ancestry. It traces back through Old French "randon", meaning a rushing or violent force, from "randir", to run or gallop, which in turn came from a Frankish word related to "rinnan", to run. The original sense was therefore one of speed and force, not chance. The notion of haphazardness developed later, and "random" in English came to mean done without a definite aim or pattern. The suffix has a longer road. "-ise" descends from Greek "-izein", passed through Late Latin "-izare" and Old French "-iser", and entered English in Middle English as "-isen". "Randomise" was formed in English by attaching that suffix to "random", so it is a relatively modern coinage compared with the older roots behind it.

Synonyms: shuffles, scrambles, mixes, jumbles

Antonyms: orders, organizes, arranges, sorts