metathesis

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me·tath·e·sis / məˈta[unvoicedth]əsəs/ • n. (pl. -ses / -ˌsēz/ ) 1. Gram. the transposition of sounds or letters in a word.2. (also me·tath·e·sis re·ac·tion) Chem. a reaction in which two compounds exchange ions, typically with precipitation of an insoluble product. Also called double decomposition.DERIVATIVES: met·a·thet·ic / ˌmetəˈ[unvoicedth]etik/ adj.met·a·thet·i·cal / ˌmetə[unvoicedth]etikəl/ adj.

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