transition

[tran-zish-uh n, -sish-] /trænˈzɪʃ ən, -ˈsɪʃ-/
noun
1.
movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change:
the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
2.
Music.
  1. a passing from one key to another; modulation.
  2. a brief modulation; a modulation used in passing.
  3. a sudden, unprepared modulation.
3.
a passage from one scene to another by sound effects, music, etc., as in a television program, theatrical production, or the like.
verb (used without object)
4.
to make a transition:
He had difficulty transitioning from enlisted man to officer.
Origin
1545-55; < Latin trānsitiōn- (stem of trānsitiō) a going across, equivalent to trānsit(us) (past participle of transīre to cross; cf. transit) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
transitional, transitionary
[tran-zish-uh-ner-ee, -sish-] /trænˈzɪʃ əˌnɛr i, -ˈsɪʃ-/ (Show IPA), adjective
transitionally, adverb
nontransitional, adjective
nontransitionally, adverb
untransitional, adjective
untransitionally, adverb
Synonyms
1. changeover, passing, conversion.
Examples from the web for transition
  • The evolutionary transition among major groups of mammals is rarely illustrated so clearly.
  • Why this change has come about, and why the demographic transition happens in the first place, are matters of debate.
  • We'll probably need a phase transition of some sort to change that situation dramatically.
  • The transition to land brought major changes to the faces of our ancestors.
  • Get out now and you'll see a transition taking place.
  • The transition between stone path and tea house deck is over basalt steps that cross a koi-filled pond.
  • The artist captures the transition from wilderness to settlement.
  • We need to focus on how best to make the transition from the space shuttle to the space station to space exploration.
  • When humans made the switch from being hunter-gatherers to farmers, it was a revolutionary transition.
  • Yeah, we're literally in a transition, a management transition.
British Dictionary definitions for transition

transition

/trænˈzɪʃən/
noun
1.
change or passage from one state or stage to another
2.
the period of time during which something changes from one state or stage to another
3.
(music)
  1. a movement from one key to another; modulation
  2. a linking passage between two divisions in a composition; bridge
4.
Also called transitional. a style of architecture that was used in western Europe in the late 11th and early 12th century, characterized by late Romanesque forms combined with early Gothic details
5.
(physics)
  1. any change that results in a change of physical properties of a substance or system, such as a change of phase or molecular structure
  2. a change in the configuration of an atomic nucleus, involving either a change in energy level resulting from the emission of a gamma-ray photon or a transformation to another element or isotope
6.
a sentence, passage, etc, that connects a topic to one that follows or that links sections of a written work
Derived Forms
transitional, (rare) transitionary, adjective
transitionally, adverb
Word Origin
C16: from Latin transitio; see transient
Word Origin and History for transition
n.

1550s, from Latin transitionem (nominative transitio) "a going across or over," noun of action from past participle stem of transire "go or cross over" (see transient).

Encyclopedia Article for transition

alteration of a physical system from one state, or condition, to another. In atomic and particle physics, transitions are often described as being allowed or forbidden (see selection rule). Allowed transitions are those that have high probability of occurring, as in the case of short-lived radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. In three-millionths of a second, for instance, half of any sample of unstable polonium-212 becomes stable lead-208 by ejecting alpha particles (helium-4 nuclei) from individual atomic nuclei. Forbidden transitions, on the other hand, are those that have a high probability of not occurring. A strictly forbidden transition is one that cannot occur at all

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