different between homogeneous vs interchangeable

English

Alternative forms

• homogenous (may be considered incorrect; see usage note at homogenous)

Etymology

From Medieval Latin homogeneus, from Ancient Greek ???????? (homogen?s, “of the same race, family or kind”), from ???? (homós, “same”) + ????? (génos, “kind”). Compare homo- (“same”) and -ous (adjectival suffix).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?h?.m?(?)?d?i?.n??s/, /?h??.m?(?)?d?i?.n??s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?ho?.mo??d?i?.nj?s/, /?ho?.m??d?i?.nj?s/, /?ho?.mo??d??.nj?s/

Adjective

homogeneous (not comparable)

1. Of the same kind; alike, similar.
2. Having the same composition throughout; of uniform make-up.
   • 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.25:

     Their citizens were not of homogeneous origin, but were from all parts of Greece.

3. (chemistry) in the same state of matter.
4. (mathematics) Of which the properties of a smaller set apply to the whole; scalable.

   The function ${\displaystyle f(x,y)=x^{2}+y^{2}}$ is homogeneous of degree 2 because ${\displaystyle f(\alpha x,\alpha y)=\alpha ^{2}f(x,y)}$.

Antonyms

• heterogeneous

Derived terms

Related terms

• homogeneity
• homogenise, homogenize

Translations

Further reading

• homogeneous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• homogeneous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• homogeneous at OneLook Dictionary Search

English

Etymology

interchange +? -able

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?nt??t?e?nd??bl?/, [?????t?e?nd??bl?]

Adjective

interchangeable (not comparable)

1. Freely substitutable; that may be swapped at will.

   Eli Whitney's development of interchangeable parts was a breakthrough for modern manufacturing. Prior to that, each part had to be made custom.

   • 2014, Ian Jack, "Is this the end of Britishness", The Guardian, 16 September 2014:

     The English, until relatively recently, seem to have imagined “English” and “British” to be interchangeable, as if Britain was just a bigger England.

   Synonym: equivalent

2. Following each other in alternate succession; alternating.

Derived terms

• interchangeability
• interchangeably

Translations

Noun

interchangeable (plural interchangeables)

1. Anything that can be interchanged; a substitute.

French

Etymology

From interchanger +? -able

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.t??.???.?abl/

Adjective

interchangeable (plural interchangeables)

1. interchangeable, substitutable

Further reading

• “interchangeable” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).