heterogeneous

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin heterogeneus, from Ancient Greek ἑτερογενής (of different kinds), from ἕτερος (heteros, other, another, different) + γένος (genos, kind). Compare hetero- and -ous.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA: /ˈhɛt.rə.dʒiː.nəs/, /ˈhɛt.rəʊ.dʒiː.nəs/, /hɛt.ˈro.dʒə.nəs/; X-SAMPA: /"hEt.r@.dZi:.n@s/, /"hEt.r@U.dZi:.n@s/
  • (file)

Adjective

heterogeneous (comparative more heterogeneous, superlative most heterogeneous)

  1. Diverse in kind or nature; composed of diverse parts.
  2. (mathematics) Incommensurable because of different kinds.
  3. (physics) Having more than one phase (solid, liquid, gas) present in a system or process.
  4. (chemistry) Visibly consisting of different components.
  5. (computing) Of a network comprising different types of computers, potentially with vastly differing memory sizes, processing power and even basic underlying architecture; alternatively, of a data resource with multiple types of formats.

Antonyms

Translations

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Last modified on 19 May 2013, at 16:11