Meanings
plural ectropies
- countableuncountablenatural sciencesThe overall increase in the organization of a system
Synonyms: negentropy, extropy
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe overall increase in the organization of a system
Origin
“This term was suggested by W. V. Quine in discussions following this symposium: Entropy, he pointed out, is Greek for turning in; the opposite term should therefore be the Greek for turning out, namely ectropy. Since the coaction cardioid literally turns in and out of the circle of reference, his short, elegant term is used throughout.”
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
ectropy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ectropy
“ectropy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ectropy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ectropy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ectropy.
Source: ectropy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.