Main Entry:

¹com·mute

Pronunciation:

\kə-ˈmyüt\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

com·mut·ed; com·mut·ing

Etymology:

Middle English, from Latin commutare to change, exchange, from com- + mutare to change — more at mutable

Date:

15th century

transitive verb1 a: change, alter b: to give in exchange for another : exchange2: to convert (as a payment) into another form3: to change (a penalty) to another less severe <commute a death sentence to life in prison>4: commutateintransitive verb1: make up, compensate2: to pay in gross3: to travel back and forth regularly (as between a suburb and a city)4: to yield the same mathematical result regardless of order —used of two elements undergoing an operation or of two operations on elements

— com·mut·able \-ˈmyü-tə-bəl\ adjective