anisotropic

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

/ ænˌaɪ səˈtrɒp ɪk, -ˈtroʊ pɪk, ˌæn aɪ- /

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adjective

Physics. of unequal physical properties along different axes.Compare isotropic (def. 1).

Botany. of different dimensions along different axes.

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Origin of anisotropic

First recorded in 1875–80; an-¹ + isotropic

OTHER WORDS FROM anisotropic

an·i·so·trop·i·cal·ly, adverban·i·so·tro·py

[an-ahy-so-truh-pee], /ˌæn aɪˈsɒ trə pi/, an·i·so·tro·pism, noun

Words nearby anisotropic

anisometric, anisometropia, anisomorphic, anisophyllous, anisopteran, anisotropic, anisotropy, anisyl acetate, anisyl alcohol, Anita, Anjou

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use anisotropic in a sentence

The only condition requisite for the exhibition of response is the differential excitability of an anisotropic organ.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919|Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
Whether variation of temperature induces in anisotropic organs only one type of response, or two types, positive and negative.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919|Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
Thick lines represent the more excitable side of an anisotropic or dorsiventral organ.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919|Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
In fact such anisotropic stem of Mimosa acts somewhat like the pulvinus of the same plant.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919|Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose

Both are adapted for determining the axes of elasticity and for the differentiation of isotropic and anisotropic bodies.
Microscopes and Accessory Apparatus|Ernst Leitz

British Dictionary definitions for anisotropic

anisotropic

/ (ænˌaɪsəʊˈtrɒpɪk, ˌænaɪ-) /

adjective

not isotropic; having different physical properties in different directionsanisotropic crystals

(of a plant) responding unequally to an external stimulus in different parts of the plant

Derived forms of anisotropic

anisotropically, adverbanisotropy (ˌænaɪˈsɒtrəpɪ), 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 anisotropic

anisotropic

[ ăn-ī′sə-trō′pĭk, -trŏp′ĭk, ăn′ī- ]

Differing according to orientation, as light scattered by a liquid crystal; light striking the liquid crystal's surface at a 90° angle might not be reflected (so the surface appears dark when viewed head-on), while light striking it at shallower angles is reflected (so the surface appears illuminated when viewed from a shallow angle). Compare isotropic.