dichotomy

[ dahy-kot-uh-mee ]

See synonyms for: dichotomy dichotomies dichotomic on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural di·chot·o·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 of dichotomy

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin dichotomia, from Greek dichotomía “dividing in two (of the quarters of the moon), point of a bisection, division into two parts”; see origin at dicho-, -tomy

Other words from dichotomy

di·cho·tom·ic [dahy-kuh-tom-ik], /ˌdaɪ kəˈtɒm ɪk/, adjective
di·cho·tom·i·cal·ly, adverb
sub·di·chot·o·my, noun, plural sub·di·chot·o·mies.

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

How to use dichotomy in a sentence

I’m amazed the extent he pulled that off, because it’s so obviously a false dichotomy.
Coronavirus cases exceed 100,000 in one day for the first time, even as the nation is split on the pandemic vs. the economy | Lenny Bernstein, Joel Achenbach, Frances Stead Sellers, William Wan | November 4, 2020 | Washington Post
They do not arise from the dichotomic process of classification, but from the polar relations of things.
The Religious Sentiment | Daniel G. Brinton
To obviate the matter Lamarck conceived and proposed the dichotomic method for the easy determination of species.
Lamarck, the Founder of Evolution | Alpheus Spring Packard

British Dictionary definitions for dichotomy

dichotomy

/ (daɪˈkɒtəmɪ) /

nounplural -mies

division into two parts or classifications, esp when they are sharply distinguished or opposed: the dichotomy between eastern and western cultures
logic the division of a class into two mutually exclusive subclasses: the dichotomy of married and single people

botany a simple method of branching by repeated division into two equal parts
the phase of the moon, Venus, or Mercury when half of the disc is visible

Origin of dichotomy

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

usage For dichotomy

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

Derived forms of dichotomy

dichotomous or dichotomic (ˌdaɪkəʊˈtɒmɪk), adjective
dichotomously, adverb

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

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