# transition

Pronunciation: say "tran-ZISH-uhn" /tɹænˈzɪ.ʃən/

## Noun

1. The process by which someone or something passes from one state, form, style, or place into another.
   - Simple: The act of changing from one form, state, or place to another.
   - _The country's transition to democracy took nearly a decade._
   - _Employees were given training to ease the transition between the old and new systems._
3. The process of changing one's gender role or physical and sexual characteristics, through social, medical, or legal means, to match one's identified gender rather than the sex assigned at birth.
   - Simple: The process of changing one's gender role or body to fit one's real gender, not the sex given at birth.
   - _Many people describe their transition as a gradual process spanning several years._
   - _Legal recognition often lags behind the social and medical parts of someone's transition._
6. A word or phrase that provides a link between parts of a piece of writing or speech.
   - Simple: A word or phrase that links one part of a piece of writing to the next.
   - _The essay lacked a clear transition between its argument and its conclusion._
   - _Skilled writers use transitions to keep their paragraphs connected._
7. A change from one key to another within a piece of music.
   - Simple: A change from one musical key to another within a piece of music.
   - _The composer marked a transition into the relative major halfway through the movement._
   - _An unexpected transition to a distant key gave the piece a sense of tension._
8. A change from defending to attacking, or from attacking to defending, during play.
   - Simple: In sports, the quick switch from defense to attack, or from attack to defense.
   - _The coach drilled the players on transition, turning defense into offense within seconds._
   - _A sloppy transition let the opponents counterattack and score._
9. A brief modulation, or a passage that connects one musical theme to another.
   - Simple: In music, a short passage that links two themes or briefly changes key.
   - _A brief transition carries the music from the first theme to the second._
   - _The orchestra glided through the transition without a pause._
10. Professional special-education support for children or adults moving from one educational setting or support program toward more independent living.
   - Simple: Special help given to students as they move from one learning program toward more independent living.
   - _The district funds transition for students moving from high school toward supported employment._
   - _A good transition plan helps young adults adjust to living more independently._
11. The onset of the final stage of childbirth, immediately before delivery.
   - Simple: In childbirth, the start of the final stage of labor, just before the baby is born.
   - _By the time she reached transition, the contractions left little time to rest._
   - _Many women find transition the most demanding phase of labor._
12. A published procedure for instrument flight that links the departure or en-route phase to the next phase of flight.
   - Simple: In flying, a planned route that connects one phase of a flight to the next.
   - _The chart showed a transition linking the en-route airway to the final approach._
   - _Controllers assigned a specific transition to sequence the arriving aircraft._
13. A change from forward to backward motion, or the reverse, made without coming to a stop.
   - Simple: In skating, a smooth switch from skating forward to backward, or backward to forward, without stopping.
   - _The skater's transition from forward to backward was seamless._
   - _Judges praised the smooth transition midway through her routine._
14. A point mutation in which one base is replaced by another of the same class, purine for purine or pyrimidine for pyrimidine.
   - Simple: In genetics, a change in DNA where one base is swapped for another of the same kind.
   - _The sequencing revealed a transition where adenine had been replaced by guanine._
   - _Transitions occur more frequently than transversions in many genomes._
15. A gentle, indirect way of referring to death, the passing from life into death.
   - Simple: A gentle way of saying that someone has died.
   - _The minister described her transition as a passing into peace._
   - _In the days after his transition, friends gathered to share memories._

## Verb

2. To pass or change from one form, state, or stage to another.
   - Simple: To change from one state, form, or stage to another.
   - _Many regions are transitioning toward renewable energy._
   - _Students transition more easily when teachers prepare them ahead of time._
4. To bring someone or something through a change from one state, form, or stage to another.
   - Simple: To move someone or something from one state, system, or stage to another.
   - _The board plans to transition the company toward sustainable energy._
   - _Engineers carefully transitioned the plant from coal to natural gas._
5. To bring one's gender role or physical and sexual characteristics into line with one's gender identity.
   - Simple: To change one's gender role or body to match one's real gender, not the sex given at birth.
   - _Some people choose to transition socially before pursuing any medical steps._
   - _He transitioned over the course of several years._

## Origin

English borrowed "transition" from Middle French "transition," which came from Latin "transitio." By surface analysis it breaks down into "transit" plus the suffix "-ion."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/transition (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).