Editing Mutatis mutandis (section)

==Latin==
The phrase ''{{lang|la|{{linktext|mutatis mutandis}}}}''—now sometimes written ''{{lang|la|mūtātīs mūtandīs}}'' to show [[vowel length]]—does not appear in surviving [[Classical Latin|classical literature]]. It is [[Medieval Latin]]<ref name=oed>''Oxford English Dictionary'', 3rd&nbsp;ed. 'mutatis mutandis, ''adv.''' Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2003.</ref> in origin and the [[Feet of fines]], kept at [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)]], contains its first use in England on January 20, 1270, at Pedes Finium, 54 Hen. III, Salop.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Eyton|first=Robert William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kvU9AQAAMAAJ&dq=mutatis+mutandis+%221272%22&pg=PA244|title=Antiquities of Shropshire|date=1855|publisher=J.R. Smith|language=en}}</ref>

Both words are [[participle]]s of the [[Latin]] [[verb]] ''{{lang|la|{{linktext|mutare}}}}'' ('to move; to change; to exchange'). ''{{lang|la|[[wikt:mutatus|Mutatus, -a, -um]]}}'' is its [[perfect tense|perfect]] [[passive voice|passive]] participle ('changed; having been changed'). ''{{lang|la|[[wikt:mutandus|Mutandus, -a, -um]]}}'' is its [[gerundive]], which functions both as a [[future tense|future]] [[passive voice|passive]] participle ('to be changed; going to be changed') and as a verbal adjective or noun expressing necessity ('needing to be changed; things needing to be changed').  The phrase is an [[Ablativus absolutus|ablative absolute]], using the [[ablative case]] to show that the clause is grammatically independent ('absolute' literally meaning 'dissolved' or 'separated') from the rest of the sentence.

{{anchor|Plain English}}