non-abelian
|non-a-be-li-an|
/nɒn əˈbiːliən/
non-commutative group
Etymology
'non-abelian' originates from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not' and 'abelian', which refers to the mathematician Niels Henrik Abel, known for his work in group theory.
'abelian' was derived from the name of Niels Henrik Abel, and the prefix 'non-' was added to denote the opposite property in group theory.
Initially, it meant 'not abelian', specifically in the context of group theory, and this meaning has remained consistent.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
referring to a group in which the group operation is not commutative, meaning the order in which two elements are combined affects the result.
In a non-abelian group, the equation a * b ≠ b * a holds true for some elements a and b.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/04/02 14:15