 |
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Symmetry \Sym"me*try\, noun [L. symmetria, Gr. ?; sy'n with, together + ? a measure: cf. F. sym['e]trie. See {Syn-}, and {Meter} rhythm.]
1. A due proportion of the several parts of a body to each other; adaptation of the form or dimensions of the several parts of a thing to each other; the union and conformity of the members of a work to the whole.
2. (Biol.) The law of likeness; similarity of structure; regularity in form and arrangement; orderly and similar distribution of parts, such that an animal may be divided into parts which are structurally symmetrical.
Note: Bilateral symmetry, or two-sidedness, in vertebrates, etc., is that in which the body can be divided into symmetrical halves by a vertical plane passing through the middle; radial symmetry, as in echinoderms, is that in which the individual parts are arranged symmetrically around a central axis; serial symmetry, or zonal symmetry, as in earthworms, is that in which the segments or metameres of the body are disposed in a zonal manner one after the other in a longitudinal axis. This last is sometimes called metamerism.
3. (Bot.) (a) Equality in the number of parts of the successive circles in a flower. (b) Likeness in the form and size of floral organs of the same kind; regularity.
{Axis of symmetry}. (Geom.) See under {Axis}.
{Respective symmetry}, that disposition of parts in which only the opposite sides are equal to each other.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
symmetry
noun
1: (mathematics) an attribute of a shape or relation; exact correspondence of form on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane [syn: {symmetricalness}, {correspondence}, {balance}] [ant: {asymmetry}]
2: balance among the parts of something [syn: {proportion}] [ant: {disproportion}]
3: (physics) the property of being isotropic; having the same value when measured in different directions [syn: {isotropy}] [ant: {anisotropy}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
106 Moby Thesaurus words for "symmetry": accord, accordance, affinity, agreement, arrangement, array, assent, balance, beauty, chorus, coequality, coextension, coherence, coincidence, communion, community, compatibility, concert, concinnity, concord, concordance, conformance, conformation, conformity, congeniality, congruence, congruency, congruity, congruousness, consistency, consonance, consort, cooperation, corelation, correlation, correlativism, correlativity, correspondence, deployment, disposal, disposition, equality, equation, equilibrium, equipoise, equipollence, equiponderance, equity, equivalence, equivalency, euphony, evenness, finish, formation, harmony, identity, intersection, inverse proportion, inverse ratio, inverse relationship, justice, layout, levelness, likeness, lineup, marshaling, measure, measuredness, mutuality, oneness, order, orderedness, orderliness, organization, overlap, par, parallelism, parity, peace, poise, proportion, proportionality, quiet, quietude, rapport, reciprocality, reciprocation, reciprocity, regularity, relativity, rhythm, routine, self-consistency, setup, structure, sweetness, sync, synchronism, system, tally, timing, tranquillity, uniformity, union, unison, unisonance
 |
Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |