Advertisement

Origin and history of commutation

commutation(n.)

mid-15c., commutacioun, "act of giving one thing for another," from Old French commutacion "change, transformation, exchange, barter" (13c., Modern French commutation), from Latin commutationem (nominative commutatio) "a change, alteration," noun of action from past-participle stem of commutare "to change, alter entirely" (see commute (v.)).

From c. 1500 as "a passage from one state to another;" 1590s as "act of substituting one thing for another."

also from mid-15c.

Entries linking to commutation

commute(v.)

mid-15c., "to change (something into something else), transform," from Latin commutare "to often change, to change altogether," from com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + mutare "to change" (reconstructed in Watkins to be from PIE root *mei- (1) "to change, go, move").

The sense of "make less severe" is attested from 1630s; the sense of "exchange, put in place of another" is from 1630s. The meaning "substitute one sort of burden for another" is by 1640s.

The meaning "go back and forth to work" is attested by 1889, from commuter (1822 in the related sense, etc.), ultimately based on commutation ticket "ticket good for a number of rides, bought at a discount," on a railroad, steamboat line, streetcar line, etc. (by 1822), for which see commuter. Related: Commuted; commuting; commutable.

The noun meaning "a journey made in commuting" is attested by 1960.

    Advertisement

    More to explore

    substitution
    late 14c., substitucion, "appointment of a subordinate or successor" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French substitucion, substitution or directly from Late Latin substitutionem (nominative substitutio) "a putting in place of (another)," noun of action from past-participle stem
    exchange
    late 14c., eschaunge, "act of reciprocal giving and receiving," from Anglo-French eschaunge, Old French eschange (Modern French échange), from Late Latin excambium, from excambiare, from Latin ex "out" (see ex-) + cambire "barter" (see change (v.)). The practice of merchants or l
    commuter
    "one who goes back and forth to work," 1865, American English, originally "holder of a commutation ticket," agent noun from...A commutation ticket (1848) was a ticket issued (by a railroad, etc.) at a reduced rate entitling the holder to travel over...
    club
    The railroad charges from $250 to $300 a month for the use of this car in addition to the commutation fares, and the "club...
    mercy
    late 12c., "God's forgiveness of his creatures' offenses," from Old French mercit, merci (9c.) "reward, gift; kindness, grace, pity," from Latin mercedem (nominative merces) "reward, wages, pay, hire" (in Vulgar Latin "favor, pity;" in Medieval Latin "thanks; grace"), from merx (
    clemency
    1550s, "mildness or gentleness shown in exercise of authority," from Latin clementia "calmness, gentleness," from clemens "calm, mild," related to clinare "to lean," often said to be from PIE root *klei- "to lean" + participial suffix -menos (also in alumnus). For sense evolution
    change
    c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),
    travel
    late 14c., "to journey," from travailen (1300) "to make a journey," originally "to toil, labor" (see travail). The semantic development may have been via the notion of "go on a difficult journey," but it also may reflect the difficulty of any journey in the Middle Ages. Replaced
    warrant
    c. 1200, "protector, defender," from Old North French warant "defender; surety, pledge; justifying evidence" (Old French garant), from Frankish *warand, from Proto-Germanic *war- "to warn, guard, protect" (source also of Old High German werento "guarantor," noun use of present pa
    solstice
    "one of the two times of the year when the sun is at the greatest distance from the equator," mid-13c., from Old French solstice (13c.), from Latin solstitium "point at which the sun seems to stand still," especially the summer solstice, from sol "the sun" (from PIE root *sawel-

    Share commutation

    Advertisement
    Trending
    Dictionary entries near commutation
    Advertisement