From Middle English changen, chaungen, from Old French changier, from Late Latin cambiare, from Latin cambīre, present active infinitive of cambiō ("exchange, barter"), from Gaulish cambion, *kambyom ("change"), from Proto-Celtic *kambos, 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.

• (RP, America) enPR: chānj, IPA: /t͡ʃeɪnd͡ʒ/

change (changes, present participle changing; simple past and past participle changed)

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.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗, page 1 ↗:

     Lo I the man, whoſe Muſe whilome did maske, / As time her taught in lowly Shepheards weeds, / Am now enforſt a far unfitter taske, / For trumpets ſterne to chaunge mine oaten reeds, / And ſinge of Knights and Ladies gentle deeds [...]

   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.)
7. (archaic) To exchange.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene ii]:

     At the first sight / they have changed eyes. (exchanged looks)

   • 1662 Sir Thomas Salusbury, 2nd Baronet, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (Dialogue 2):

     I would give any thing to change a word or two with this person.

8. (transitive) To change hand while riding (a horse).

   to change a horse

• (to make something different) alter, modify, make another
• (to make something into something different) transform

• exchange

• French: changer, se transformer, muter (biology)
• German: ändern, verändern, wandeln
• Italian: cambiare
• Portuguese: mudar
• Russian: изменя́ться
• Spanish: cambiar, demudar

• French: changer, transformer
• German: ändern, verändern, verwandeln
• Italian: cambiare, trasformare
• Portuguese: alterar, mudar
• Russian: изменя́ть
• Spanish: cambiar, demudar, modificar, mudar

• French: remplacer
• German: wechseln, auswechseln
• Italian: cambiare, rimpiazzare, sostituire
• Portuguese: mudar, trocar
• Russian: заменя́ть
• Spanish: reemplazar, cambiar, recambiar

• French: changer
• German: umziehen, umkleiden
• Italian: cambiarsi
• Portuguese: trocar-se
• Russian: переодева́ться
• Spanish: cambiarse

• Italian: cambiare
• Portuguese: trocar

• French: changer
• German: umsteigen
• Italian: cambiare
• Portuguese: baldear
• Russian: переса́живаться
• Spanish: hacer transbordo

change

1. (countable, uncountable) The process of becoming different.

   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

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.

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.
   • 1669, William Holder, Elements of Speech: An Essay of Inquiry into the Natural Production of Letters: […], London: […] T. N[ewcomb] for J[ohn] Martyn printer to the R[oyal] Society, […], →OCLC ↗:

     Four bells admit twenty-four changes in ringing.

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.

• (the process of becoming different) transition, transformation

• (transfer) interchange
• exact change

• French: changement, modification, mutation, évolution
• German: Änderung, Veränderung, Wandel
• Italian: cambio, cambiamento, modifica
• Portuguese: mudança, modificação
• Russian: измене́ние
• Spanish: cambio, modificación, mutación, evolución

• French: monnaie
• German: Wechselgeld
• Italian: spiccioli
• Portuguese: troco, trocado
• Russian: мелкие деньги
• Spanish: cambio, calderilla (Spain - specifically coins), (Spain - specifically coins) chatarra, (Northern Mexico) feria, (Caribbean Islands) menudo, (Mexico - specifically coins) morralla, (Bolivia) sencillo, (Ecuador) suelto, (Southeastern Mexico) vuelto

• Italian: cambio, ricambio
• Portuguese: troca, mudança
• Russian: заме́на
• Spanish: cambio, reemplazo

• French: monnaie
• German: Rückgeld
• Italian: resto
• Portuguese: troco
• Russian: сда́ча
• Spanish: cambio, (Colombian regional usage) devueltas, (Spain) vuelta, (Colombian standard usage) vueltas, (Latin America except Mexican standard usage) vuelto

• Portuguese: trocado
• Russian: ме́лочь

• Russian: переса́дка