Transitional

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /tɹænˈzɪʃənəl/

Definitions

1. Relating to a period or phase of change between two different states or conditions
2. Pertaining to the changes that occur between two distinct stages or states in a process or situation
3. Involving the movement or progression from one condition to another, marking a phase of alteration

Etymology: The adjective "transitional" is a straightforward formation: it is "transition" with the adjective-forming suffix "-al" added to it. That suffix came into English through Middle English from Latin "-ālis", which passed through Old French "-el" and "-al" on its way, and it has been used for centuries to turn nouns into adjectives meaning "relating to" the noun. So a transitional period is simply a period relating to transition. The noun it is built on, "transition", arrived in English from Middle French, where it carried the same sense of passing from one state or place to another. The root beneath both is Latin "transitus", a passage across, built from "trans" meaning across and "ire" meaning to go. In other words, every transition has always been a crossing from one side of something to another.

Synonyms: temporary, interim, preliminary

Antonyms: permanent, stable