anisomorphism

From an- +‎ isomorphism.

• IPA^(key): /ˌænˌaɪsə(ʊ)ˈmɔɹfɪzəm/ (the first syllable does not reduce, to maintain a distinction with an isomorphism, pronounced quickly as /əˌnaɪsə(ʊ)ˈmɔɹfɪzəm/)

• Audio (General American); /-soʊ-/:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)fɪzəm

anisomorphism (countable and uncountable, plural anisomorphisms)

1. (linguistics, lexicography) The absence of an exact correspondence between words etc. in two different languages; the differences between two given languages that create mismatches in a translation dictionary.^[1]

   Antonyms: bijection, isomorphism

   • 2011, David Bellos, Is That a Fish in Your Ear?, Penguin, published 2012, page 82:

     These well-known examples of the ‘imperfect matching’ or anisomorphism of languages do not really support the conclusion that translation is impossible.