verb
- to undergo or cause metathesis; to rearrange the positions of sounds or letters in a word
Usage: linguistics; chemistry
Examples
- The word 'ask' metathesizes to 'aks' in some dialects.
- In chemistry, the compound metathesizes when exposed to heat.
- Historical sound changes show how languages metathesizes consonant clusters over time.
- The reaction metathesizes the ionic compounds to form new products.
- Linguists study how 'bird' metathesizes in certain speech patterns.