COMMUTATION

substitution, exchange, commutation

(noun) the act of putting one thing or person in the place of another: “he sent Smith in for Jones but the substitution came too late to help”

commutation, commuting

(noun) the travel of a commuter

commutation, re-sentencing

(noun) (law) the reduction in severity of a punishment imposed by law

commutation

(noun) a warrant substituting a lesser punishment for a greater one

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology 1

Noun

commutation (countable and uncountable, plural commutations)

(obsolete) A passing from one state to another; change; alteration; mutation.

(obsolete) The act of giving one thing for another; barter; exchange.

(formal or archaic) Substitution of one thing for another; interchange.

Specifically, the substitution of one kind of payment for another, especially a switch to monetary payment from obligations of labour.

(legal) The change to a lesser penalty or punishment by the State

(linguistics) Substitution, as a means of discriminating between phonemes.

(electronics) The reversal of an electric current.

Etymology 2

Noun

commutation (countable and uncountable, plural commutations)

(US) The process or habit of journeying to and from work on a regular basis; commuting.

Source: Wiktionary

Com`mu*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. commutatio: cf. F. commutation.]

1. A passing from one state to another; change; alteration; mutation. [R.] So great is the commutation that the soul then hated only that which now only it loves. South.

2. The act of giving one thing for another; barter; exchange. [Obs.] The use of money is . . . that of saving the commutation of more bulky commodities. Arbuthnot.

3. (Law)

Definition: The change of a penalty or punishment by the pardoning power of the State; as, the commutation of a sentence of death to banishment or imprisonment. Suits are allowable in the spiritual courts for money agreed to be given as a commutation for penance. Blackstone.

4. A substitution, as of a less thing for a greater, esp. a substitution of one form of payment for another, or one payment for many, or a specific sum of money for conditional payments or allowances; as, commutation of tithes; commutation of fares; commutation of copyright; commutation of rations. Angle of commutation (Astron.), the difference of the geocentric longitudes of the sun and a planet.

– Commutation of tithes, the substitution of a regular payment, chargeable to the land, for the annual tithes in kind.

– Commutation ticket, a ticket, as for transportation, which is the evidence of a contract for service at a reduced rate. See 2d Commute, 2.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition