English Dictionary

SYMMETRY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does symmetry mean? 

SYMMETRY (noun)
  The noun SYMMETRY has 3 senses:

1. (mathematics) an attribute of a shape or relation; exact reflection of form on opposite sides of a dividing line or planeplay

2. balance among the parts of somethingplay

3. (physics) the property of being isotropic; having the same value when measured in different directionsplay

  Familiarity information: SYMMETRY used as a noun is uncommon.


 Dictionary entry details 


SYMMETRY (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

(mathematics) an attribute of a shape or relation; exact reflection of form on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

balance; correspondence; symmetricalness; symmetry

Hypernyms ("symmetry" is a kind of...):

spatial property; spatiality (any property relating to or occupying space)

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "symmetry"):

geometrical regularity; regularity (a property of polygons: the property of having equal sides and equal angles)

bilateral symmetry; bilateralism; bilaterality (the property of being symmetrical about a vertical plane)

radial symmetry (the property of symmetry about an axis)

Antonym:

asymmetry ((mathematics) a lack of symmetry)

Derivation:

symmetric (having similarity in size, shape, and relative position of corresponding parts)

symmetrise; symmetrize (make symmetric)


Sense 2

Meaning:

Balance among the parts of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

proportion; symmetry

Hypernyms ("symmetry" is a kind of...):

balance; counterbalance; equilibrium; equipoise (equality of distribution)

Derivation:

symmetric (having similarity in size, shape, and relative position of corresponding parts)

symmetrise; symmetrize (make symmetric)


Sense 3

Meaning:

(physics) the property of being isotropic; having the same value when measured in different directions

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

isotropy; symmetry

Hypernyms ("symmetry" is a kind of...):

property (a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class)

Domain category:

natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)


 Context examples 


A species of enveloped and spherical viruses with a capsid with T=16 icosahedral symmetry and surrounded by amorphous tegument, in the Herpesviridae family and Simplexvirus genus.

(Human Herpesvirus 2, NCI Thesaurus)

A species of non-enveloped, spherical viruses with a capsid with T=3 icosahedral symmetry in the Picornaviridae family and Enterovirus genus.

(Coxsackie A Virus, NCI Thesaurus)

A species of enveloped and spherical viruses with a capsid with T=16 icosahedral symmetry and surrounded by amorphous tegument, in the Herpesviridae family and Cytomegalovirus genus.

(Human Herpesvirus 5, NCI Thesaurus)

A species of enveloped and spherical viruses with a capsid with T=16 icosahedral symmetry and surrounded by amorphous tegument, in the Herpesviridae family and Roseolovirus genus.

(Human Herpesvirus 7, NCI Thesaurus)

A species of non-enveloped and spherical viruses with a capsid with T=3 icosahedral symmetry in the Caliciviridae family and Norovirus genus.

(Norwalk Virus, NCI Thesaurus)

A genus of non-enveloped, capsid covered viruses with T=3 icosahedral symmetry, in the family Caliciviridae.

(Norovirus, NCI Thesaurus)

The coronavirus genome exhibits helical symmetry.

(Coronavirus, NCI Thesaurus)

Virions are enveloped, ether-sensitive, and vary up to 200 nm in diameter; the nucleocapsids are 100 nm in diameter and of icosahedral symmetry, with 162 capsomeres.

(Herpesvirus, NCI Thesaurus)

A genus of enveloped, spherical, or pleomorphic viruses with T=4 icosahedral symmetry, in the family Togaviridae.

(Alphavirus, NCI Thesaurus)

She was a striking-looking woman, a little short and thick for symmetry, but with a beautiful olive complexion, large, dark, Italian eyes, and a wealth of deep black hair.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"A rolling stone gathers no moss." (English proverb)

"Feed the goat to fill the pot." (Albanian proverb)

"The best answer comes from the man who isn't angry." (Arabic proverb)

"A cheeky person owns half the world" (Dutch proverb)



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