commutation
- commutation
-
/kom'yeuh tay"sheuhn/, n.
1. the act of substituting one thing for another; substitution; exchange.
2. the changing of a prison sentence or other penalty to another less severe.
3. the act of commuting, as to and from a place of work.
4. the substitution of one kind of payment for another.
5. Elect. the act or process of commutating.
6. Also called
commutation test.
Ling. the technique, esp. in phonological analysis, of substituting one linguistic item for another while keeping the surrounding elements constant, used as a means of determining the constituent units in a sequence and their contrasts with other units.
[1400-50; late ME commutacioun < L commutation- (s. of commutatio) change. See COMMUTE, -ATION]
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in law, shortening of a term of punishment or lowering of the level of punishment. For example, a 10-year jail sentence may be commuted to 5 years, or a sentence of death may be commuted to life in prison. Often, after a person has served part of his sentence, the remainder is commuted owing to specific circumstances. Commutation of sentence differs from
pardon,
which, if unconditional, removes the stigma both of the court decision and of the punishment and restores the person's civil rights; commutation does neither. Commutation is also distinguished from reprieve, which merely delays or temporarily suspends the sentence.
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Universalium.
2010.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
commutation — [ kɔmytasjɔ̃ ] n. f. • déb. XIIe; lat. commutatio « changement » 1 ♦ Didact. Substitution, remplacement. Commutation et permutation. Spécialt Substitution d un élément par un autre, dégageant des distinctions pertinentes (notamment en… … Encyclopédie Universelle
Commutation — Com mu*ta tion, n. [L. commutatio: cf. F. commutation.] 1. A passing from one state to another; change; alteration; mutation. [R.] [1913 Webster] So great is the commutation that the soul then hated only that which now only it loves. South. [1913 … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
commutation — index clemency, compensation, compromise, exchange, immunity, mutuality, replacement, subrogation Burton … Law dictionary
commutation — com‧mu‧ta‧tion [ˌkɒmjˈteɪʆn ǁ ˌkɑː ] noun [countable] INSURANCE a single large payment instead of a series of future payments: • The assets of the insurer will be used to make a single, final payment, called a commutation, to policyholders. * * … Financial and business terms
commutation — COMMUTATION. s. f. Changement. Il n est en usage que dans cette phrase, qui se dit en matière criminelle, Commutation de peine … Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798
commutation — mid 15c., from O.Fr. commutacion change, transformation, exchange, barter (13c., Mod.Fr. commutation), from L. commutationem (nom. commutatio) a change, alteration, noun of action from commutare to change, alter entirely (see COMMUTE (Cf.… … Etymology dictionary
commutation — Commutation. substant. fem. Changement. Il n est en usage qu en cette phrase. Commutation de peine … Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
commutation — [käm΄yə tā′shən] n. [ME & OFr commutacion < L commutatio, a changing < commutatus, pp. of commutare,COMMUTE] 1. an exchange; substitution 2. a) the substitution of one kind of payment for another b) the payment made ☆ 3. the act of… … English World dictionary
Commutation — (v. lat. Commutatio), 1) Veränderung, Vertauschung; 2) (Rhet.), so v. w. Antimetabole; 3) (Commutationswinkel, Astr.), der Winkel, welchen die Linie von der Erde aus zur Sonne mit einer andern von der Sonne zu einem Planeten macht; er ist immer… … Pierer's Universal-Lexikon
commutation — et changement, Commutatio … Thresor de la langue françoyse
commutation — ► NOUN 1) the commuting of a judicial sentence. 2) the commutating of an electric current … English terms dictionary
