Heterogeneous

English

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. (information technology): A network comprising different types of computers, potentially with vastly differing memory sizes, processing power and even basic underlying architecture. Alternatively, a data resource with multiple types of formats.

Antonyms

• homogeneous

Thesaurus

amalgamated, ambiguous, ambivalent, amphibious, assorted, at odds, at variance, blended, combined, complex, composite, compound, compounded, conglomerate, contrary, contrasted, contrasting, dappled, departing, deviating, deviative, different, differentiated, differing, disaccordant, disagreeing, discordant, discrepant, discrete, discriminated, disjoined, disparate, dissimilar, dissonant, distinct, distinguished, divergent, diverging, divers, diverse, diversified, eclectic, equivocal, fifty-fifty, half-and-half, in disagreement, inaccordant, incompatible, incongruous, inconsistent, inconsonant, indiscriminate, inharmonious, intricate, ironic, irreconcilable, jumbled, many, many and various, many-sided, medley, mingled, miscellaneous, mixed, motley, multifaceted, multifarious, multinational, multiracial, of all sorts, patchy, pluralistic, poles apart, poles asunder, promiscuous, scrambled, separate, separated, several, sundry, syncretic, thrown together, unconformable, unequal, unlike, variant, varied, variegated, various, varying, widely apart, worlds apart

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈhɛt.rə.dʒiːn.ʌs/, /ˈhɛt.rəʊ.dʒiːn.ʌs/; SAMPA: /"[email protected]:n.Vs/, /"[email protected]:n.Vs/

• Audio (US)

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Translations

for all definitions:

Chinese: 異質, 异质 Dutch: heterogeen (nl), heterogene (nl) Finnish: erilaatuinen, heterogeeninen French: hétérogène (fr) German: heterogen (de) Irish: ilchineálach (ga), ilghnéitheach (ga) Italian: eterogeneo (it) Manx: yl-chynnoil (gv), yl-cheintagh (gv) Polish: heterogeniczny (pl)

Portuguese: heterogêneo m., heterogênea f. Romanian: eterogen m. and n., eterogenă f., neuniform (ro) m. and n. Russian: неоднородный (ru) (neodnoródnyj), гетерогенный (ru) (geterogénnyj) Scottish Gaelic: iol-ghnèitheach (gd) Spanish: heterogéneo (es) Swedish: heterogen (sv) Telugu: విజాతి (vijaathi), విభిన్న (vibhinna)

Related terms

• heterogeneity

External links

• Heterogeneous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• Heterogeneous in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• Heterogeneous at OneLook Dictionary Search