change
Meanings
- To become something different.
- To make something into something else.
- To replace.
- To replace one's clothing.
- To replace the clothing of (the one wearing it), especially to put a clean diaper on (someone).
- To transfer to another vehicle (train, bus, etc.)
- To exchange.
- To change hand while riding (a horse).
- The process or result of becoming different.
- Small denominations of money given in exchange for a larger denomination.
- A replacement.
- Balance of money returned from the sum paid after deducting the price of a purchase.
- An amount of cash, usually in the form of coins, but sometimes inclusive of paper money.
- A transfer between vehicles.
- A change-up pitch.
- Any order in which a number of bells are struck, other than that of the diatonic scale.
- A public house; an alehouse.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
From Middle English changen, chaungen, from Old French changier, from Late Latin cambiāre, from Latin cambīre (“to exchange, barter”), derived from the noun cambium (“change”) (whence was loaned the English doublet cambium), from Gaulish cambion, earlier *kambyom (“change”), related to Proto-Celtic *kambos (“twisted, crooked”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱh₂(e)mbos, *(s)kh₂(e)mbos (“crooked”). More at skimp, scam; see also Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em-. Cognate with Italian cambiare, Portuguese cambiar, Romanian schimba, Sicilian canciari, Spanish cambiar. Used in English since the 13th century. Displaced Middle English wenden, from wendan (“to turn, change”) (whence wend). The noun is from Middle English change, chaunge, from Old French change, from the verb changier. See also exchange. Possibly related from the same source is Old English gombe.