commute
    n 1: a regular journey of some distance to and from your place
         of work; "there is standing room only on the high-speed
         commute"
    v 1: exchange positions without a change in value; "These
         operators commute with each other" [syn: commute,
         transpose]
    2: travel back and forth regularly, as between one's place of
       work and home
    3: change the order or arrangement of; "Dyslexics often
       transpose letters in a word" [syn: permute, commute,
       transpose]
    4: exchange a penalty for a less severe one [syn: commute,
       convert, exchange]
    5: exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or
       category; "Could you convert my dollars into pounds?"; "He
       changed his name"; "convert centimeters into inches";
       "convert holdings into shares" [syn: change, exchange,
       commute, convert]

Commute \Com*mute"\ (k[o^]m*m[=u]t"), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
   Commuted; p. pr. & vb. n. Commuting.] [L. commutare,
   -mutatum; com- + mutare to change. See Mutation.]
   1. To exchange; to put or substitute something else in place
      of, as a smaller penalty, obligation, or payment, for a
      greater, or a single thing for an aggregate; hence, to
      lessen; to diminish; as, to commute a sentence of death to
      one of imprisonment for life; to commute tithes; to
      commute charges for fares.
      [1913 Webster]

            The sounds water and fire, being once annexed to
            those two elements, it was certainly more natural to
            call beings participating of the first "watery", and
            the last "fiery", than to commute the terms, and
            call them by the reverse.             --J. Harris
      [1913 Webster]

            The utmost that could be obtained was that her
            sentence should be commuted from burning to
            beheading.                            --Macaulay.
      [1913 Webster]

Commute \Com*mute"\, v. i.
   1. To obtain or bargain for exemption or substitution; to
      effect a commutation.
      [1913 Webster]

            He . . . thinks it unlawful to commute, and that he
            is bound to pay his vow in kind.      --Jer. Taylor.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To pay, or arrange to pay, in gross instead of part by
      part; as, to commute for a year's travel over a route.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. to travel regularly from a place of residence to another
      place, such as where one's daily work is performed. Often,
      such travel is performed between a suburb and a nearby
      city; as, to commute to work.
      [PJC]