trichotomy

== English == === Etymology === From Ancient Greek τριχοτομία (trikhotomía), from τρίχα (tríkha) +‎ τόμος (tómos) +‎ -ία (-ía). === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /tɹaɪˈkɒt.ə.mi/ (US) IPA(key): /tɹaɪˈkɑt.ə.mi/ Rhymes: -ɒtəmi === Noun === trichotomy (countable and uncountable, plural trichotomies) Division or separation into three groups or pieces. (algebra) 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. Aliprantis, Border (2006), Infinite Dimensional Analysis: A Hitchhiker's Guide (3rd ed.), p. 6 [A linear order] obeys the following trichotomy law[.] ==== Coordinate terms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== trichotomous ==== Translations ====