heterogeneous

heterogeneous
    adj 1: consisting of elements that are not of the same kind or
           nature; "the population of the United States is vast and
           heterogeneous" [syn: {heterogeneous}, {heterogenous}]
           [ant: {homogeneous}, {homogenous}]
    2: originating outside the body [syn: {heterogenous},
       {heterogeneous}] [ant: {autogenic}, {autogenous}]
    

Heterogeneous \Het`er*o*ge"ne*ous\, a. [Gr. ?; ? + ? race, kind;
   akin to E. kin: cf. F. h['e]t['e]rog[`e]ne.]
   Differing in kind; having unlike qualities; possessed of
   different characteristics; dissimilar; -- opposed to
   homogeneous, and said of two or more connected objects, or of
   a conglomerate mass, considered in respect to the parts of
   which it is made up. -- {Het`er*o*ge"ne*ous*ly}, adv. --
   {Het`er*o*ge"ne*ous*ness}, n.
   [1913 Webster]

   {Heterogeneous nouns} (Gram.), nouns having different genders
      in the singular and plural numbers; as, hic locus, of the
      masculine gender in the singular, and hi loci and h[ae]c
      loca, both masculine and neuter in the plural; hoc
      c[ae]lum, neuter in the singular; hi c[ae]li, masculine in
      the plural.

   {Heterogeneous quantities} (Math.), such quantities as are
      incapable of being compared together in respect to
      magnitude, and surfaces and solids.

   {Heterogeneous surds} (Math.), surds having different radical
      signs.
      [1913 Webster]
    

heterogeneous

   Composed of unrelated parts, different in kind.

   Often used in the context of {distributed systems} that may be
   running different {operating systems} or network {protocols}
   (a {heterogeneous network}).

   For examples see: {interoperable database}, {middleware}.

   Constrast {homogeneous}.

   (1999-05-06)
    

92 Moby Thesaurus words for "heterogeneous":
      amalgamated, ambiguous, ambivalent, amphibious, assorted, at odds,
      at variance, blended, combined, complex, composite, compound,
      compounded, conglomerate, contrary, contrasted, contrasting,
      dappled, departing, deviating, deviative, different,
      differentiated, differing, disaccordant, disagreeing, discordant,
      discrepant, discrete, discriminated, disjoined, disparate,
      dissimilar, dissonant, distinct, distinguished, divergent,
      diverging, divers, diverse, diversified, eclectic, equivocal,
      fifty-fifty, half-and-half, in disagreement, inaccordant,
      incompatible, incongruous, inconsistent, inconsonant,
      indiscriminate, inharmonious, intricate, ironic, irreconcilable,
      jumbled, many, many and various, many-sided, medley, mingled,
      miscellaneous, mixed, motley, multifaceted, multifarious,
      multinational, multiracial, of all sorts, patchy, pluralistic,
      poles apart, poles asunder, promiscuous, scrambled, separate,
      separated, several, sundry, syncretic, thrown together,
      unconformable, unequal, unlike, variant, varied, variegated,
      various, varying, widely apart, worlds apart