Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

commutator

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.14 in modern English

Syllables
com-mu-ta-tor
IPA
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An electrical switch, in a generator or motor, that periodically reverses the direction of an electric current.

noun

A binary map in a given group G, given by [g, h] = ghg⁻¹h⁻¹, where g and h are elements of G, which yields the group's identity if and only if the group operation commutes for g and h.

noun

A binary map in a given ring R, given by [a, b] = ab − ba, where a and b are elements of R, which yields the ring's zero element if and only if the multiplication operation commutes for a and b.

Etymology

Back-formation from commutation (in the late 19th century), as is commutate (verb) too.

Inflected Forms

commutators (plural)

Derived Forms

anticommutator commutatorless multicommutator subcommutator

Phrases

commutator length commutator subgroup self-commutator nilpotent group solvable group

Frequently Paired Words

nilpotent group solvable group

Synonyms

rheotrope electrepeter

Questions

What does commutator mean?
An electrical switch, in a generator or motor, that periodically reverses the direction of an electric current.
Where does commutator come from?
Back-formation from commutation (in the late 19th century), as is commutate (verb) too.

How to pronounce commutator

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