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commutative - 4 dictionary results

com⋅mu⋅ta⋅tive

  [kuh-myoo-tuh-tiv, kom-yuh-tey-tiv]
Use commutative in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of or pertaining to commutation, exchange, substitution, or interchange.
2. Mathematics.
a. (of a binary operation) having the property that one term operating on a second is equal to the second operating on the first, as a × b = b × a.
b. having reference to this property: commutative law for multiplication.
Origin:
1525–35; < ML commūtātīvus, equiv. to L commūtāt(us) (ptp. of commūtāre; see commute, -ate 1 ) + -īvus -ive

Related forms:
com⋅mu⋅ta⋅tive⋅ly, adverb
com⋅mu⋅ta⋅tiv⋅i⋅ty, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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com·mu·ta·tive   (kŏm'yə-tā'tĭv, kə-myōō'tə-tĭv)   
adj.  
  1. Relating to, involving, or characterized by substitution, interchange, or exchange.
  2. Independent of order. Used of a logical or mathematical operation that combines objects or sets of objects two at a time. If a × b = b × a, the operation indicated by × is commutative.
com·mu'ta·tiv'i·ty (kə-myōō'tə-tĭv'ĭ-tē) n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Commutative

Com*mut"a*tive\, a. [CF. F. commutatif.] Relative to exchange; interchangeable; reciprocal. -- Com*mut"a*tive"ly, adv.

Rich traders, from their success, are presumed . . . to have cultivated an habitual regard to commutative justice. --Burke.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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commutative   (kə-my'tə-tĭv, kŏm'yə-tā'tĭv)  Pronunciation Key 
Of or relating to binary operations for which changing the order of the inputs does not change the result of the operation. For example, addition is commutative, since a + b = b + a for any two numbers a and b, while subtraction is not commutative, since a - b ` a - b unless both a and b are zero. See also associative, distributive.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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