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asymmetric

 - 2 dictionary results

a⋅sym⋅met⋅ric

  [ey-suh-me-trik, as-uh-]
Use asymmetric in a Sentence
–adjective
1. not identical on both sides of a central line; unsymmetrical; lacking symmetry: Most faces are asymmetric.
2. (of a logical or mathematical relation) holding true of members of a class in one order but not in the opposite order, as in the relation “being an ancestor of.”
3. Chemistry.
a. having an unsymmetrical arrangement of atoms in a molecule.
b. noting a carbon atom bonded to four different atoms or groups.
c. (of a polymer) noting an atom or group that is within a polymer chain and is bonded to two different atoms or groups that are external to the chain.
Also, a⋅sym⋅met⋅ri⋅cal.

Origin:
1870–75; a- 6 + symmetric

Related forms:
a⋅sym⋅met⋅ri⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To asymmetric
a·sym·met·ric   (ā'sĭ-mět'rĭk)   
adj.  

  1. Having no balance or symmetry.

  2. Chemistry Of or relating to a carbon atom having four different atoms or structural groups attached to it, resulting in an unbalanced spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule, so that the molecule cannot be superimposed on its mirror image; chiral.

a'sym·met'ri·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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