Transform

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /tɹænsˈfɔːm/

Definitions

1. To alter the shape, appearance, or character of something ; to perform a specific change on a mathematical object or function to convert it into a different form
2. To cause something to undergo a significant change in physical or abstract form ; to convert data or functions into another format using mathematical procedures
3. To modify the external or internal qualities of an object or concept ; to apply a formula or method that changes the representation of mathematical elements

Etymology: Latin "transformare" combined "trans," meaning "across" or "beyond," with "forma," meaning "form" or "shape." The compound described a change from one shape into another, and that literal sense of crossing from one form to another remains at the heart of the English verb. The Latin verb passed into Old French as "transformer," and from there into Middle English as "transformen," so the English word arrived by way of French rather than directly from Latin. Behind "forma" lies a long line of older words. Latin "forma" likely descends from an ancient root that also gave Latin "formo" its sense of shaping or fashioning, and Greek "morphe" belongs to the same wider family of words for shape, which is why English has so many related terms such as "form," "formula," and "metamorphosis." Nothing in the transformation idea itself is metaphorical in origin: the word was built from physical notions of shape and movement across.

Synonyms: convert, change, metamorphose, alter, modify

Antonyms: remain, preserve, stay, sustain, maintain