Able to be exchanged, substituted, or reduced; in mathematics, able to be reversed or rearranged without changing the result.
From Latin commutabilis (able to be exchanged), from commutare (to exchange). Developed distinct meanings in mathematics and law (where sentences can be commuted).
The word appears in three different fields—law (commutable sentences), transportation (commutable distance), and math (commutable operations)—and while they seem unrelated, all trace back to the core idea of 'exchange or substitution.'
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