noun

1. any radical alteration; total transformation
2. 1. a complete rearrangement, esp. by interchanging
   2. Math. any of the total number of groupings, or subsets, into which a group, or set, of elements can be arranged in a particular order: the permutations of A, B, and C taken two at a time are AB, BA, AC, CA, BC, CB

Etymology: ME permutacion < MFr < L permutatio < permutare: see permute