antimetric
|an-ti-met-ric|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tɪˈmɛt.rɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪˈmɛtrɪk/
against measure / opposed to metric
Etymology
'antimetric' is formed from the prefix 'anti-' (Greek) meaning 'against' + 'metric' from Late Latin/Greek 'metron' meaning 'measure'.
'metric' comes via Late Latin/Old French from Greek 'metron' ("measure"); the English adjective 'antimetric' was formed by prefixing 'anti-' to 'metric' in modern English usage to express opposition to or negation of metric sense, and specialized uses (e.g., in mathematics) arose later.
Originally analyzable as 'against measure' in general use, the term acquired a technical mathematical sense referring to skew-symmetry (A^T = -A) while retaining broader non-metric senses in other contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
(mathematics) Of a square matrix or bilinear form: equal to the negative of its transpose; i.e. skew-symmetric (A^T = −A).
In linear algebra, an antimetric (skew-symmetric) matrix A satisfies A^T = -A.
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Adjective 2
not metric; not based on or conforming to a metric or standard of measurement; opposed to or incompatible with measurement.
The philosopher described the proposed evaluation as antimetric, arguing it resisted quantification.
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Last updated: 2025/11/05 13:58