symmetry
Use Symmetry in a sentence
ɪ noun, plural sym·me·tries.
1.
the correspondence in size, form, and arrangement of parts on opposite sides of a plane, line, or point; regularity of form or arrangement in terms of like, reciprocal, or corresponding parts.
2.
the proper or due proportion of the parts of a body or whole to one another with regard to size and form; excellence of proportion.
3.
beauty based on or characterized by such excellence of proportion.
4.
Mathematics.
a.
a geometrical or other regularity that is possessed by a mathematical object and is characterized by the operations that leave the object invariant: A circle has rotational symmetry and reflection symmetry.
b.
a rotation or translation of a plane figure that leaves the figure unchanged although its position may be altered.
5.
Physics. a property of a physical system that is unaffected by certain mathematical transformations as, for example, the work done by gravity on an object, which is not affected by any change in the position from which the potential energy of the object is measured.
Related forms
an·ti·sym·me·try, adjective, noun
non·sym·me·try, noun, plural non·sym·me·tries.
Synonyms
1. consonance, concord, correspondence. Symmetry, balance, proportion, harmony are terms used, particularly in the arts, to denote qualities based upon a correspondence or agreement, usually pleasing, among the parts of a whole. Symmetry implies either a quantitative equality of parts ( the perfect symmetry of pairs of matched columns ) or a unified system of subordinate parts: the symmetry of a well-ordered musical composition. Balance implies equality of parts, often as a means of emphasis: Balance in sentences may emphasize the contrast in ideas. Proportion depends less upon equality of parts than upon that agreement among them that is determined by their relation to a whole: The dimensions of the room gave a feeling of right proportion. Harmony a technical term in music, may also suggest the pleasing quality that arises from a just ordering of parts in other forms of artistic composition: harmony of line, color, mass, phrase, ideas.
1. consonance, concord, correspondence. Symmetry, balance, proportion, harmony are terms used, particularly in the arts, to denote qualities based upon a correspondence or agreement, usually pleasing, among the parts of a whole. Symmetry implies either a quantitative equality of parts ( the perfect symmetry of pairs of matched columns ) or a unified system of subordinate parts: the symmetry of a well-ordered musical composition. Balance implies equality of parts, often as a means of emphasis: Balance in sentences may emphasize the contrast in ideas. Proportion depends less upon equality of parts than upon that agreement among them that is determined by their relation to a whole: The dimensions of the room gave a feeling of right proportion. Harmony a technical term in music, may also suggest the pleasing quality that arises from a just ordering of parts in other forms of artistic composition: harmony of line, color, mass, phrase, ideas.
Antonyms
1. asymmetry.
1. asymmetry.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To symmetry
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Symmetry
is a PSAT word you need to know.
So is nemesis. Does it mean:
| to discourage or restrain from acting or proceeding: |
| Something that a person cannot conquer; an opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome. An agent or act of retribution or punishment. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
symmetry (ˈsɪmɪtrɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -tries | |
| 1. | similarity, correspondence, or balance among systems or parts of a system |
| 2. | maths See symmetrical an exact correspondence in position or form about a given point, line, or plane |
| 3. | beauty or harmony of form based on a proportionate arrangement of parts |
| 4. | physics the independence of a property with respect to direction; isotropy |
| [C16: from Latin symmetria, from Greek summetria proportion, from | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
symmetry
1563, "relation of parts, proportion," from L. symmetria, from Gk. symmetria "agreement in dimensions, due proportion, arrangement," from symmetros "having a common measure, even, proportionate," from syn- "together" + metron "meter" (see meter (2)). Meaning "harmonic arrangement
of parts" first recorded 1599. Symmetrical is recorded from 1751. Symmetrophobia is from 1809, supposed to be evident in Egyptian temples and Japanese art.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
symmetry sym·me·try (sĭm'ĭ-trē)
n.
Exact correspondence of form and constituent configuration on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane or about a center or an axis.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
symmetry (sĭm'ĭ-trē) Pronunciation Key
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
symmetry
in biology, the repetition of the parts in an animal or plant in an orderly fashion. Specifically, symmetry refers to a correspondence of body parts, in size, shape, and relative position, on opposite sides of a dividing line or distributed around a central point or axis. With the exception of radial symmetry (see below), external form has little relation to internal anatomy, since animals of very different anatomical construction may have the same type of symmetry
Learn more about symmetry with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
The art would be having the eye that observes carefully and you can see balance and symmetry, shape and form.
Graphical features that arise for perceptual facility include symmetry and orientation to the horizontal and vertical axes.
The fundamental change in his thinking is to accept a new kind of symmetry in the universe.
In contrast, cnidarians seem to lack such symmetry completely.
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