Word of the Day: TRANSPOSE
To relocate or reorder
transpose (verb) - to reverse, transfer, or change the order of something; to interchange [trans-pohz]
BREAKDOWN: TRANS- (across, over) + POS- (to put or place)
a transpose is a matrix obtained from a different matrix by interchanging each row and its corresponding column
transposition is the act or process of changing or exchanging the positions of two things
See also: indispose, juxtaposition, predispose, posit, repose
“What cannot be borne in reality becomes a source of pleasure when it is transposed into the visual and somatic fiction of the dramatic spectacle.” —Claude Calame
Funny timing — I was just reading about spoonerisms yesterday, and the technical term for them is "metathesis" (or the verb "transpose"). The whole concept of swapping sounds or ideas feels connected to how transpose literally breaks down: putting something *across* from where it started.
That Calame quote is fascinating too. The idea that transposition is what makes tragedy bearable — we can watch suffering when it's been placed *over there* on stage instead of here with us.