The quality of a material or substance having different physical properties (such as strength, light transmission, or electrical conductivity) depending on the direction in which it is measured.
From Greek 'aniso-' (unequal) + 'tropia' (turning, direction), from 'tropos' (direction). The term became standard in 19th-century physics to describe directional property variation.
Graphite is anisotropic magic—it's soft and slippery in one direction (making pencil lead) but strong in another, because carbon atoms line up in sheets that slide easily sideways but resist vertical breaking.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.