heterogeneous

[het-er-uh-jee-nee-uh s, -jeen-yuh s] /ˌhɛt ər əˈdʒi ni əs, -ˈdʒin yəs/
adjective
1.
different in kind; unlike; incongruous.
2.
composed of parts of different kinds; having widely dissimilar elements or constituents:
The party was attended by a heterogeneous group of artists, politicians, and social climbers.
3.
Chemistry. (of a mixture) composed of different substances or the same substance in different phases, as solid ice and liquid water.
Origin
1615-25; < Medieval Latin heterogeneus < Greek heterogenḗs. See hetero-, gene, -ous
Related forms
heterogeneously, adverb
heterogeneousness, noun
Can be confused
heterogeneous, heterogenous, homogeneous, homogenous.
Synonyms
2. varied, diverse.
Antonyms
2. homogeneous.
Examples from the web for heterogeneous
  • Materials themselves can be classified into the homogeneous and the heterogeneous.
  • The heterogeneous composition of animal studies is reflected in the content of the books.
  • This is a heterogeneous condition with many potential components.
  • The rock itself is temperamental —heterogeneous, soft, and in some places already cracked.
  • Many of the booths are like small antiques shops, crammed with heterogeneous goodies.
  • As the college educated group became a larger share of the labour force, it also became more heterogeneous.
  • Our bodies are half made up of glands and tubes and organs, occupied in turning heterogeneous food into blood.
  • Many have contributed to the heterogeneous fabric of the American idea.
  • This is important because we live in a faster-moving, more heterogeneous world.
  • The pattern is heterogeneous and nonuniform.
British Dictionary definitions for heterogeneous

heterogeneous

/ˌhɛtərəʊˈdʒiːnɪəs/
adjective
1.
composed of unrelated or differing parts or elements
2.
not of the same kind or type
3.
(chem) of, composed of, or concerned with two or more different phases Compare homogeneous
Derived Forms
heterogeneity (ˌhɛtərəʊdʒɪˈniːɪtɪ), heterogeneousness, noun
heterogeneously, adverb
Word Origin
C17: from Medieval Latin heterogeneus, from Greek heterogenēs, from hetero- + genos sort
Word Origin and History for heterogeneous
adj.

1620s, from Medieval Latin heterogeneus, from Greek heterogenes, from heteros "different" (see hetero-) + genos "kind, gender, race stock" (see genus). Earlier in same sense was heterogeneal (c.1600).

heterogeneous in Medicine

heterogeneous het·er·o·ge·ne·ous (hět'ər-ə-jē'nē-əs, -jēn'yəs)
adj.
Composed of parts having dissimilar characteristics or properties.

heterogeneous in Technology


Composed of unrelated parts, different in kind.
Often used in the context of distributed systems that may be running different operating systems or network protocols (a heterogeneous network).
For examples see: interoperable database, middleware.
Constrast homogeneous.
(1999-05-06)