permutation (English)
Where does "permutation" come from?
The word 'permutation' traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *meyth₂-, meaning 'to exchange.' It evolved into the Latin permūtāre, signifying a thorough change, before passing through Old French and Middle English as the noun 'permutacioun.' Today, the term retains this core sense of alteration while specifically describing the various ways a set of items can be arranged.
Full etymology tree
- permutation (English), 'One of the ways something exists, or the ways a set of objects can be ordered.'
- inherited permutacioun (Middle English)
- inherited permutacïon (Old French)
- inherited permūtātiōnem (Latin), 'accusative singular of permūtātiō'
- inherited permūtātiō (Latin), 'change, alteration'
- derived permūtō (Latin), 'to change or alter throughout or completely, transform'
- prefix per- (Latin), 'Used to make adjectives or verbs that are "very" something.'
- inherited *per- (Proto-Indo-European), 'before, in front'
- derived mūtō (Latin), 'to move, remove'
- inherited *meyth₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to change'
- prefix per- (Latin), 'Used to make adjectives or verbs that are "very" something.'
- suffix -tiō (Latin), '-tion, -ation, -ing; suffixed to verbs to form action nouns denoting a process, action, or result of an action.'
- derived permūtō (Latin), 'to change or alter throughout or completely, transform'
- inherited permūtātiō (Latin), 'change, alteration'
- inherited permūtātiōnem (Latin), 'accusative singular of permūtātiō'
- inherited permutacïon (Old French)
- inherited permutacioun (Middle English)
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris