different between trichotomous vs trichotomy

English

trichotomy +? -ous?

trichotomous (not comparable)

Divided into three parts, or into threes; forking three ways.
- 1793, Thomas Martyn, The Language of Botany
  a trichotomous stem
(set theory) Such that, for all x and y in X, and for a binary relation R, exactly one of xRy, yRx or x=y holds.
> is a trichotomous relation, while the relation "divides" over the natural numbers is not.

tri- +? -chotomy; formed analogously from dichotomy as if it were from di- + -chotomy.

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.

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