Antisymmetry

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A feature in mathematics denoting that if an element relates to another, the reverse relation cannot be established
2. This trait of a binary relation illustrates that one-sided connections preclude mutual ties
3. Characteristic of a relation where if an element relates to another, the reverse does not hold unless they are the same element

Etymology: "Antisymmetry" is a straightforward compound: the prefix "anti-", meaning "against" or "opposite to", attached to "symmetry". Symmetry itself comes from Greek "symmetria", literally "measure together" or "commensurability", from "syn" (together) and "metron" (measure). Where symmetry describes a balanced, mirror-like correspondence, antisymmetry names the opposite pattern: in a relation such as "is greater than" or "is a parent of", a link running one way rules out the same link running back, so the reverse never holds between distinct things. The term is a technical coinage from mathematics and logic, built on the familiar word rather than inherited from older usage. Its meaning is therefore fixed by the relational definition above, and the word carries no older sense to trace.

Synonyms: asymmetry, irregularity, nonuniformity, discrepancy, imbalance

Antonyms: symmetry, uniformity, balance, regularity, harmony