monotropy

noun

mo·​not·​ro·​py

məˈnä‧trəpē

plural -es

: the relation of two different forms of the same substance (as white and red phosphorus) that have no definite transition point since only one form (as red phosphorus) is stable and the change from the unstable form to the stable form is irreversible

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary mon- + -tropy; probably originally formed as German monotropie

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