Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

dichotomic

[dahy-kot-uh-mee]

Origin

noun, plural -mies.

division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs.

division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups: a dichotomy between thought and action.

Botany. a mode of branching by constant forking, as in some stems, in veins of leaves, etc.

Astronomy. the phase of the moon or of an inferior planet when half of its disk is visible.

Origin:
1600–10; < Greek dichotomía. See dicho-, -tomy

Related forms

di·cho·tom·ic

[dahy-kuh-tom-ik] , adjective

di·cho·tom·i·cal·ly, adverb

sub·di·chot·o·my, noun, plural -mies.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To dichotomic

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Dichotomic is always a great word to know.

So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Collins

World English Dictionary

dichotomy (daɪˈkɒtəmɪ)

—n , pl -mies
1.	division into two parts or classifications, esp when they are sharply distinguished or opposed: the dichotomy between eastern and western cultures
2.	logic the division of a class into two mutually exclusive subclasses: the dichotomy of married and single people
3.	botany a simple method of branching by repeated division into two equal parts
4.	the phase of the moon, Venus, or Mercury when half of the disc is visible

[C17: from Greek dichotomia; see dicho-, -tomy]

usage Dichotomy should always refer to a division of some kind into two groups. It is sometimes used to refer to a puzzling situation which seems to involve a contradiction, but this use is generally thought to be incorrect

di'chotomous

—*adj*

dichotomic

—*adj*

di'chotomously

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

dichotomy

1610, from Gk. dichotomia "a cutting in half," from dicha "in two" + temnein "to cut" (see tome).

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for dichotomic?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

Quote Of The Day

"I've never been convinced that experience is linear, circular, or even random. It just is. I try to put it in some kind of order to extract meaning from it, to bring meaning to it."

-Toni Cade Bambara

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help