change

Etymology

From Middle English changen, chaungen, from Old French changier, from Late Latin cambiāre, from Latin cambīre, present active infinitive of cambiō (“exchange, barter”), from Gaulish cambion, *kambyom (“change”), from Proto-Celtic *kambos (“twisted, crooked”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱambos, *(s)kambos (“crooked”). Cognate with Italian cambiare, Portuguese cambiar, Romanian schimba, Sicilian canciari, Spanish cambiar. Used in English since the 13th century. Displaced native Middle English wenden, from Old English wendan (“to turn, change”) (whence English wend). The noun is from Middle English change, chaunge, from Old French change, from the verb changier. See also exchange. Possibly related from the same source is Old English gombe.

verb

1. (intransitive) To become something different.
   The tadpole changed into a frog. Stock prices are constantly changing.
2. (transitive, ergative) To make something into something else.
   Of all the transitions brought about on the Earth’s surface by temperature change, the melting of ice into water is the starkest. It is binary. And for the land beneath, the air above and the life around, it changes everything. 2013-05-11, “The climate of Tibet: Pole-land”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8835, page 80
   Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus.[…]A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that. Developed as a tool to electronically combine the sharpest bits of multiple digital images, focus stacking is a boon to biologists seeking full focus on a micron scale. 2013 July-August, Catherine Clabby, “Focus on Everything”, in American Scientist
   The fairy changed the frog into a prince. I had to change the wording of the ad so it would fit.
3. (transitive) To replace.
   Ask the janitor to come and change the lightbulb. After a brisk walk, I washed up and changed my shirt.
4. (intransitive) To replace one's clothing.
   You can't go into the dressing room while she's changing. The clowns changed into their costumes before the circus started.
5. (transitive) To replace the clothing of (the one wearing it).
   It's your turn to change the baby.
6. (intransitive) To transfer to another vehicle (train, bus, etc.)
   After stopping at these stations, my train has become busy. Returning day-trippers make up a goodly number, along with young people heading for a night out in Bristol, which is where I change once again. December 2 2020, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 66
7. (archaic) To exchange.
   I would give any thing to change a word or two with this person. 1662 Thomas Salusbury, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (Dialogue 2)
8. (transitive) To change hand while riding (a horse).
   to change a horse

noun

1. (countable, uncountable) The process of becoming different.
   Cause people often talk about being scared of change / But for me I'm more afraid of things staying the same 2008, Nick Cave (lyrics and music), “Jesus Of The Moon”, in Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, performed by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
   Of all the transitions brought about on the Earth’s surface by temperature change, the melting of ice into water is the starkest. It is binary. And for the land beneath, the air above and the life around, it changes everything. 2013-05-11, “The climate of Tibet: Pole-land”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8835, page 80
   The product is undergoing a change in order to improve it.
2. (uncountable) Small denominations of money given in exchange for a larger denomination.
   Can I get change for this $100 bill, please?
3. (countable) A replacement.
   a change of clothes
   After beating champions Chelsea 3-1 on Boxing Day, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger made eight changes to his starting XI in an effort to freshen things up, with games against Birmingham and Manchester City to come in the next seven days. December 29, 2010, Mark Vesty, “Wigan 2 - 2 Arsenal”, in BBC
4. (uncountable) Balance of money returned from the sum paid after deducting the price of a purchase.
   A customer who pays with a 10-pound note for a £9 item receives one pound in change.
5. (uncountable) An amount of cash, usually in the form of coins, but sometimes inclusive of paper money.
   Do you have any change on you? I need to make a phone call.
   This bus ride requires exact change.
6. (countable) A transfer between vehicles.
   The train journey from Bristol to Nottingham includes a change at Birmingham.
   It [the Elizabeth Line] will provide a 6tph (trains per hour) service and with a single change at Hayes & Harlington offer services towards Reading. 2019 October, John Glover, “Heathrow rail expansion”, in Modern Railways, page 72
7. (baseball) A change-up pitch.
8. (campanology) Any order in which a number of bells are struck, other than that of the diatonic scale.
9. (Scotland, dated) A public house; an alehouse.
   1727-1728, Edward Burt, Letters from a Gentleman in the North of Scotland to his Friend in London They call an alehouse a change.