dichotomy
/daɪˈkɒtəmi/
noun
Origin
Ancient Greek
dichotomia — a cutting in two
Overview
Meaning Now
- A division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different.
- A division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups.
Literal older meaning
a cutting in two
Language path
Ancient Greek → Latin → English
Earliest form
dichotomie
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
In formal logic and philosophy, a dichotomy refers specifically to a 'dichotomous division' where a genus is split into two species that are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive. It became a prominent term in academic discourse during the Enlightenment.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
dichotomia
“a cutting in two”
Derived from dicha (in two, asunder) and tome (a cutting).
- Latin
dichotomia
“a division into two”
Adopted into Scholastic Latin to describe logical divisions.
- 17th Century English
dichotomie
“division into two parts”
Initially used in astronomy and logic.
Connections
Word parts
dicha
root
in two
tome
root
cutting
-y
suffix
forms a noun
Related across languages
French
dichotomie
dichotomy
Explore next
Related to dichotomy
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.