dichotomy
Main Entry:
di·chot·o·my
Pronunciation:
\dī-ˈkä-tə-mē also də-\
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural di·chot·o·mies
Etymology:
Greek dichotomia, from dichotomos
Date:
1610
1: a division into two especially mutually exclusive or contradictory groups or entities <the dichotomy between theory and practice>; also : the process or practice of making such a division <dichotomy of the population into two opposed classes>
2: the phase of the moon or an inferior planet in which half its disk appears illuminated
3 a: bifurcation; especially : repeated bifurcation (as of a plant's stem)
b: a system of branching in which the main axis forks repeatedly into two branches
c: branching of an ancestral line into two equal diverging branches
4: something with seemingly contradictory qualities <it's a dichotomy, this opulent Ritz-style luxury in a place that fronts on a boat harbor — Jean T. Barrett>