permutation — English Dictionary

Noun

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

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

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

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

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

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

3. An ordering of a finite set of distinct elements.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

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

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

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

Noun

1. an event in which one thing is substituted for another

   Synonyms

   substitutiontranspositionreplacementswitch

   Broader terms

   variationfluctuation

   Examples

   the replacement of lost blood by a transfusion of donor blood

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

   Broader terms

   mathematical processmathematical operationoperation

3. complete change in character or condition

   Broader terms

   transformationtranslation

4. act of changing the lineal order of objects in a group

   Broader terms

   reordering