| source : web1913 | 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. {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. | source : wn | 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" [ant: {homogeneous}] 2: originating outside the body [syn: {heterogenous}] [ant: {autogenous}] | source : foldoc | 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)