symmetric

English

Etymology

From symmetry + -ic,[1][2] from Latin symmetria, from Ancient Greek συμμετρία (summetría).

Pronunciation

Adjective

symmetric (comparative more symmetric, superlative most symmetric)

  1. Symmetrical.
  2. (set theory) Of a relation R on a set S, such that xRy if and only if yRx for all members x and y of S (that is, if the relation holds between any element and a second, it also holds between the second and the first).
    "Is a sibling of" is a symmetric relation.
  3. (cryptography) Using the same key (or keys that are trivially related) for both encryption and decryption.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

  1. symmetric, adj.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000, archived from the original on 2023-09-19.
  2. Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “symmetric”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.