nonisometric
|non-is-o-met-ric|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑn.aɪsəˈmɛtrɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒn.aɪsəˈmɛtrɪk/
not equal in measure / not distance-preserving
Etymology
'nonisometric' originates from the English prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') + 'isometric'. 'Isometric' ultimately comes from Greek 'isos' meaning 'equal' and 'metron' meaning 'measure'.
'isometric' comes from Greek 'isometrikos' (related to 'isos' + 'metron'), entered scientific Latin/modern European languages as 'isometric', and was combined in English with the productive prefix 'non-' to form 'nonisometric'.
Initially, 'isometric' meant 'having equal measure'; 'nonisometric' developed as the straightforward negative formation to mean 'not having equal measure' or 'not preserving distances', retaining the technical contrast with 'isometric'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not isometric; not having equal measure or shape such that one figure cannot be obtained from another by an isometry (rigid motion).
The two polyhedra are nonisometric, so no combination of rotations and translations will make them coincide.
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Adjective 2
not distance-preserving; describing a map or transformation that does not preserve distances (i.e., is not an isometry).
The parametrization is nonisometric, so local distances on the surface are distorted under the mapping.
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Adjective 3
in physiology, describing a contraction that is not isometric (i.e., the muscle length changes while generating force).
During the experiment the muscle underwent a nonisometric contraction, shortening as it produced force.
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Last updated: 2025/09/18 05:10