Etymograph

English

commute

Commute comes from Latin commūtō ‘to change or alter entirely’, and goes back to mūtō.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūtō1
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūtō1‘to change or alter entirely’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1660commute1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English commute
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1660, Jeremy Taylor, Ductor Dubitantium: “He […] thinks it unlawful to commute, and that…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūtōWiktionary, English commute
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūtōWiktionary, English commute‘to change or alter entirely’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1660commuteWiktionary, English commute. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1660, Jeremy Taylor, Ductor Dubitantium: “He […] thinks it unlawful to commute, and that…”

Linked words

through Latin mūtō

mutation, mutant, molt, immutable, moult, mutable, mutate, transmute, 13 more

Today it means

verb To exchange substantially; to abate but not abolish completely, a penalty, obligation, or payment in return for a great, single thing or an aggregate; to cash in; to lessen

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “commute”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin mūtō / commute

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