duality

English

Etymology

From Latin duālitās. Equivalent to dual +‎ -ity.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d(j)uːˈælɪti/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ælɪti

Noun

duality (countable and uncountable, plural dualities)

1. (in literature) The quality of containing or comprising two often opposed parts or aspects.

   the moral duality of certain characters

   Mother Nature's eternal duality, both life-giving and destructive

   He was fascinated by the duality of human nature.

2. The aggregate of two complementary subclasses or parts.

   philosophical duality

   The novel explored the duality of good and evil.

   that fundamental duality that characterises the life of all animals—hungry or sated

3. (mathematics, physics) The mathematical equivalence of two seemingly different theoretical descriptions of a physical system.

   wave-particle duality

4. (projective geometry) The interchangeability of points and planes.

Synonyms

• dichotomy

Derived terms

• autoduality
• Koszul duality
• nonduality
• non-self-duality
• pseudoduality
• self-duality
• wave-particle duality

Translations

classification into two subclasses or opposed parts

• Finnish: kaksijakoisuus (fi), kaksinaisuus
• French: dualité (fr) f
• Occitan: dualitat
• Persian: زوجیت (fa)
• Polish: dwoistość (pl) f, dualizm f
• Portuguese: dualidade (pt)
• Scottish Gaelic: dà-fhillteachd f

interchangeability of points and planes

• French: dualité (fr) f
• German: Dualität (de) f
• Portuguese: dualidade (pt) f

mathematical equivalence of two seemingly different theoretical descriptions of a physical system

• Bulgarian: дуализъм m (dualizăm)
• Finnish: duaalisuus
• French: dualité (fr) f
• Persian: زوجیت (fa)
• Polish: dualność f
• Portuguese: dualidade (pt) f