Standard Lemma guide

permutation

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/
  • UK: [ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃn̩]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˌpɝ.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃ(ə)n/
  • Australian: /ˌpɜː.mjʉˈtæɪ.ʃən/
  • Australian: [ˌpɜː.mjʉˈtæɪ.ʃn̩]
  • Brisbane Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: P ER2 M Y UW0 T EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One of the ways something exists, or the ways a set of objects can be ordered.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Which permutation for completing our agenda items makes the most sense?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A one-to-one mapping from a finite set to itself.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

Examples

  • This permutation takes each element to the one following it, with the last mapped back to the first.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An ordering of a finite set of distinct elements.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: combinatorics, mathematics, sciences

Examples

  • There are six permutations of three elements, e.g. {abc, acb, bac, bca, cab, cba}.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A transformation of a set's prime form, by applying one or more of certain operations, specifically, transposition, inversion, and retrograde.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

act of changing the lineal order of objects in a group

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reordering

6

noun

Meaning 6

complete change in character or condition- Henry Miller

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the permutations...taking place in the physical world

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: transformation, translation

7

noun

Meaning 7

the act of changing the arrangement of a given number of elements

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mathematical process, mathematical operation, operation

8

noun

Meaning 8

an event in which one thing is substituted for another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the replacement of lost blood by a transfusion of donor blood

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: substitution, transposition, replacement, switch

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: variation, fluctuation

History

Etymology

From Middle English permutacioun, permutacyoun, from Old French permutacïon, promutatïon and Medieval Latin permūtātiōnem, accusative of permūtātiō. Morphologically permute + -ation.

Across languages

Translations

40 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: пермутация (permutacija) — one-to-one mapping
  • Bulgarian: разместване (razmestvane) — one-to-one mapping
  • Czech: permutace — one-to-one mapping
  • Esperanto: permuto — one-to-one mapping
  • Finnish: permutaatio — one-to-one mapping
  • French: permutation — one-to-one mapping
  • Italian: permutazione — one-to-one mapping
  • Korean: 치환 (chihwan) — one-to-one mapping
  • Polish: permutacja — one-to-one mapping
  • Portuguese: permutação — one-to-one mapping
  • Romanian: permutare — one-to-one mapping
  • Romanian: permutație — one-to-one mapping
  • Russian: пермута́ция (permutácija) — one-to-one mapping
  • Spanish: permutación — one-to-one mapping
  • Swedish: permutation — one-to-one mapping
  • Arabic: تَبْدِيل (tabdīl) — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Chinese Mandarin: 排列 (pàiliè) — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Czech: permutace — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Esperanto: permutaĵo — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Finnish: permutaatio — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • French: permutation — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Georgian: გადანაცვლება (gadanacvleba) — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • German: Permutation — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Indonesian: permutasi — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Italian: permutazione — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Malay: pilih atur — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Māori: whiriwhiringa raupapa — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Norwegian Bokmål: permutasjon — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Polish: permutacja — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Portuguese: permutação — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Russian: перестано́вка (perestanóvka) — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Russian: пермута́ция (permutácija) — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Spanish: permutación — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Swedish: permutation — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Tagalog: pamalitan — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Turkish: permütasyon — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Vietnamese: hoán vị — ordering of a set of distinct elements
  • Finnish: permutaatio — music: transformation of a set's prime form
  • Portuguese: permutação — music: transformation of a set's prime form
  • Russian: пермута́ция (permutácija) — music: transformation of a set's prime form
Real reading context

permutation in complete knowledge articles