homotopy

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US/həˈmɑtəpi/US/ˈhoʊmoʊˌtoʊpi/US/ˈhoʊmə-/

noun

A continuous deformation of one continuous function or map to another.

“The concept of homotopy represents a formalisation of the intuitive idea of a smooth deformation of one curve into another.”

Less commonScrabble 18

Meanings

nounhomotopy (countable and uncountable, plural homotopies)

plural homotopies

  1. countableuncountablemathematicsA continuous deformation of one continuous function or map to another.

    The concept of homotopy represents a formalisation of the intuitive idea of a smooth deformation of one curve into another.

    3 more examples

    An integer M is called an exponent for the torsion of an abelian group G if M * (torsion of G) = 0. We say that M is a homotopy exponent for a space X if M is an exponent for πₖ (X) for all k.

    1998, Paul Sellick, “Space Exponents for Loop Spaces of Spheres”, in William G. Dwyer, editor, Stable and Unstable Homotopy, American Mathematical Society, page 279

    A graded Lie algebra arises from these maps via the Samelson product in homotopy, the so-called homotopy Lie algebra which is discussed below.

    2001, F. R. Cohen, S. Gitler, “Loop-spaces of configuration spaces, braid-like groups, and knots”, in Jaume Aguadé, Carles Broto, Carles Casacuberta, editors, Cohomological Methods in Homotopy Theory, Springer (Birkhäuser), page 63

    2010, Vladimir G. Turaev, Homotopy Quantum Field Theory, European Mathematical Society, page xi, In this monograph we apply the idea of a TQFT to maps from manifolds to topological spaces. This leads us to a notion of a (d + 1)-dimensional homotopy quantum field theory (HQFT) which may be described as a TQFT for closed oriented d-dimensional manifolds and compact oriented (d + 1)-dimensional cobordisms endowed with maps to a given space X.

  2. uncountableThe relationship between two continuous functions where homotopy from one to the other is evident.
  3. abbreviationcountableellipsisinformaluncountableEllipsis of homotopy theory (“the systematic study of homotopies and their equivalence classes”).
  4. countableuncountablemathematicsA theory associating a system of groups with each topological space.
  5. countableuncountablemathematicsA system of groups associated with a topological space.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekὁμός“same, similar”
  2. Englishhomotopy

From Ancient Greek ὁμός (homós, “same, similar”) + τόπος (tópos, “place”); earliest known use in print in 1922, Oswald Veblen, Analysis Situs.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Danish homotopi
  • homotopi(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
French homotopie, homotopie
  • homotopie(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
  • homotopie(topology) system of groups associated with a topological space
  • homotopie(topology) theory associating a system of groups with each topological space
German Homotopie
  • Homotopie(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
Greek ομοτοπία
  • ομοτοπία (omotopía)(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
Hungarian homotópia, homotópia
  • homotópia(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
  • homotópia(topology) system of groups associated with a topological space
  • homotópia(topology) theory associating a system of groups with each topological space
Icelandic samtogun
  • samtogun(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
Japanese ホモトピー
  • ホモトピー(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
Korean 연속 변형 함수, 호모토피
  • 연속 변형 함수 (yeonsok byeonhyeong hamsu)(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
  • 호모토피 (homotopi)(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
Persian هموتوپی
  • هموتوپی (hemotopi)(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
Portuguese homotopia
  • homotopia(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
Russian гомотопия
  • гомотопия (gomotopija)(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
Spanish homotopía, homotopía
  • homotopía(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
  • homotopía(topology) system of groups associated with a topological space
  • homotopía(topology) theory associating a system of groups with each topological space
Ukrainian гомотопія
  • гомотопія (homotopija)(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
Vietnamese đồng luân
  • đồng luân(topology) continuous deformation of one continuous function to another
Cite this entry
APA

homotopy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/homotopy

MLA

“homotopy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/homotopy. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “homotopy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/homotopy.

Source: homotopy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.