dichotomous

Definition

Dividing or branching into two mutually exclusive pieces.

Etymology

From Late Latin dichotomos, from Ancient Greek διχότομος (dikhótomos, “cut in half”). By surface analysis, dichotomy + -ous.

Example Sentences

• "Genus Riccia L. Plants are thalloid, forming rosettes or loose, dichotomous patches."
• "The second half of the book switches to the increasingly dark story of how, from the 17th century onwards, European thinkers and politicians constructed a more and more dichotomous worldview."

Related Words