Wiktionary
n. 1 The property of being directionally dependent. 2 The degree to which this property is exhibited.
WordNet
n. the property of being anisotropic; having a different value when measured in different directions [ant: isotropy]
Wikipedia
Anisotropy is the property of being directionally dependent, which implies different properties in different directions, as opposed to isotropy. It can be defined as a difference, when measured along different axes, in a material's physical or mechanical properties ( absorbance, refractive index, conductivity, tensile strength, etc.) An example of anisotropy is the light coming through a polarizer. Another is wood, which is easier to split along its grain than against it.
Usage examples of "anisotropy".
I was eleven years old in 2003, and I remember how excited I was when the results from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe came in.
Quintessence Anisotropy Probe, whose results were fueling her own career.
In the end I took absolute navigational fixes fixes from the standing gravity wave, also fixes I was less certain of, from the anisotropy of the whole universe to find out where I was.
We've got cosmic background anisotropies caused by the waste heat from computing processes millions of light-years across – it takes a big interstellar civilization to do that, and they don't seem to have fallen into the same rat trap as the local Matrioshka brain civilizations.
He slips his glasses on, takes the universe off hold, and tells it to take him for a long walk while he catches up on the latest on the cosmic background radiation anisotropy (which it is theorised may be waste heat generated by irreversible computations.