Isotropies

Part of speech: noun, plural

Definitions

1. A condition in which physical properties are the same in all directions within a material or substance
2. Uniformity in the response of materials to external forces, regardless of the direction applied
3. A state reflecting consistent characteristics of materials when examined from any angular perspective

Etymology: "Isotropies" is the plural of "isotropy," so its history is that of the single word. "Isotropy" is built from two Greek-derived elements: "iso-," from the Greek "isos" meaning "equal," and "-tropy," from the Greek "tropos" meaning "turning" or "direction," as in "tropism." Put together, the sense is something like "equal in every direction." The formation is a plain technical coinage rather than an ancient word, since it combines classical building blocks to name a concept from physics and materials science. The "-tropy" element also appears in words like "anisotropy," the opposite condition, where a material's properties depend on direction. Because "isotropy" names the absence of that directional dependence, the two terms are best understood as a pair.

Synonyms: uniformity, equivalence, homogeneity

Antonyms: anisotropies, heterogeneity, variability