trichotomy
nounUK /tɹaɪˈkɒt.ə.mi/ · US /tɹaɪˈkɑt.ə.mi/
Etymology From Ancient Greek τριχοτομία (trikhotomía), from τρίχα (tríkha) + τόμος (tómos) + -ία (-ía).
1
Division or separation into three groups or pieces.
2
Algebra, Mathematics, Sciences the property of an order relation whereby, given an ordered pair of elements (of a given algebraic structure), exactly one of these is true: the first element is 'less than' the second one, the second is 'less than' the first, or the two elements are equal.
- [A linear order] obeys the following trichotomy law[.]Aliprantis, Border (2006), Infinite Dimensional Analysis: A Hitchhiker's Guide (3rd ed.), p. 6
- Derived terms
- trichotomic, trichotomism, trichotomist, trichotomize, trichotomocolpate, trichotomous
- Coordinate terms
- monochotomy, dichotomy, tetrachotomy, pentachotomy, hexachotomy, heptachotomy, octachotomy, decachotomy, polychotomy