isotropic

[ ahy-suh-trop-ik, -troh-pik ]

adjective
  1. Physics. of equal physical properties along all axes.: Compare anisotropic (def. 1).

  2. Zoology. lacking axes that are predetermined, as in some eggs.

Origin of isotropic

1
First recorded in 1860–65; iso- + -tropic
  • Also i·sot·ro·pous [ahy-so-truh-puhs]. /aɪˈsɒ trə pəs/.

Other words from isotropic

  • i·sot·ro·py, noun
  • non·i·so·trop·ic, adjective
  • non·i·sot·ro·pous, adjective
  • un·i·so·trop·ic, adjective
  • un·i·sot·ro·pous, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for isotropic

isotropic

isotropous (aɪˈsɒtrəpəs)

/ (ˌaɪsəʊˈtrɒpɪk) /


adjective
  1. having uniform physical properties in all directions

  2. biology not having predetermined axes: isotropic eggs

Derived forms of isotropic

  • isotropically, adverb
  • isotropy, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for isotropic

isotropic

[ ī′sə-trōpĭk, -trŏpĭk ]


  1. Identical in all directions; invariant with respect to direction. For example, isotropic scattering of light by a substance entails that the intensity of light radiated is the same in all directions. Compare anisotropic.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.