entropy

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun (communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome
  2. noun (thermodynamics) a thermodynamic quantity representing the amount of energy in a system that is no longer available for doing mechanical work

Etymology

First attested in 1867, as the translation of German Entropie, coined in 1865 by Rudolph Clausius in analogy to Energie (“energy”), replacing the root of Ancient Greek ἔργον (érgon, “work”) by Ancient Greek τροπή (tropḗ, “transformation”)).

In classic literature

Synonyms

information, selective information

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