What does permutable mean?
Permutable is an adjective meaning able to be rearranged or changed in order. The term is especially associated with mathematics, logic, and computing, where it describes sequences, sets, positions, or other arrangements whose elements can be exchanged without necessarily changing their underlying nature or value. For example, the order of the steps in a process might be described as permutable if the steps can be rearranged. In everyday writing, permutable is more formal and technical than alternatives such as rearrangeable or changeable, but it remains useful when emphasizing that order or arrangement is the feature that can vary. The word is related to permute, meaning to rearrange systematically, and to permutation, a rearrangement of elements or an arrangement considered in different possible orders.
adjectiveCapable of being permuted, or rearranged in order or sequence. It may also describe a set of elements whose arrangement can be changed.
- Able to be rearranged, changed in order, or subjected to permutation.
"The positions of the elements are permutable, allowing the sequence to be rearranged for each performance."
"The committee considered the seating plan permutable and approved several alternatives."
"In this system, the labels are permutable, so their order can be changed without altering the result."
Permutable is the mathematical idea that changing the order of elements can create a different arrangement without changing the elements themselves.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of permutable
Permutable comes from the Latin verb permutare, meaning “to change” or “to exchange.” It developed through the English noun permutation, meaning a rearrangement or systematic changing of order, and the related verb permute. The adjective permutable developed to describe something that can undergo such a rearrangement. The Latin root is also reflected in related mathematical and technical vocabulary concerning permutations and the interchange of elements.
Related word forms
How permutable is actually used
Relatively formal and technical. It is most common in mathematics, logic, computing, and discussions of arrangements or sequences, but it can also be used in general contexts.
Easily confused with permutable
Permutable means capable of being rearranged, whereas perpendicular means at a right angle or forming a right angle.
Permutable describes something that can be rearranged or changed in order, while immutable describes something that cannot be changed at all.