Standard Lemma guide

heterogenous

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Derived from a different individual or species.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: biology, genetics, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Alternative spelling of heterogeneous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective

Meaning 3

originating outside the body

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: heterogeneous

Antonyms: autogenous

4

adjective

Meaning 4

consisting of elements that are not of the same kind or nature

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the population of the United States is vast and heterogeneous

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: heterogeneous

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sem- Proto-Indo-European *sḿ̥teros Proto-Hellenic *hə́teros Ancient Greek ἕτερος (héteros)lbor. English hetero- Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh1- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh1os Proto-Hellenic *génos Ancient Greek γένος (génos) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ēs Ancient Greek -ης (-ēs) Ancient Greek -γενής (-genḗs)lbor. French -gènebor. English -gen Proto-Indo-European *h3ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h3édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Old French -usbor. Middle English -ous English -ous English -genous English heterogenous From hetero- + -genous.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • German: heterogen — derived from a different individual or species
  • Scottish Gaelic: iol-ghnèitheach — derived from a different individual or species
  • Spanish: heterogéneo — derived from a different individual or species