Main Entry: entropy
Pronunciation: 'en-tr&-pE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -pies
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary 2en- + Greek tropE change,
literally, turn, from trepein to turn
Date: 1875
1 : a measure of the unavailable energy in a closed thermodynamic system
that is also usually considered to be a measure of the system's disorder
and that is a property of the system's state and is related to it in such
a manner that a reversible change in heat in the system produces a change
in the measure which varies directly with the heat change and inversely
with the absolute temperature at which the change takes place; broadly :
the degree of disorder or uncertainty in a system
2 a : the degradation of the matter and energy in the universe to an ultimate
state of inert uniformity b : a process of degradation or running down or a
trend to disorder
3 : CHAOS, DISORGANIZATION, RANDOMNESS
why is 'entropy' the word of the day? i always thought entropy meant randomness, but i was not aware of the more scientific definition until i looked it up. if you look it up in a few different dictionaries, you will see a few different definitions. however, the word has popped up in a variety of places lately and i felt the need to gain a clearer understanding.