"not having the same properties in all directions," 1854; see an- (1) "not" + isotropic.
Entries linking to anisotropic
an- 1
privative prefix, from Greek an-, "not, without" (from PIE root *ne- "not"). The Greek prefix is a fuller form of the one represented in English by a- (3).
isotropic adj.
"having the same properties in all directions," 1856, from iso- + -tropic, from Greek tropikos "belonging to a turning," from tropos "a turning, way, manner," from trepein "to turn" (from PIE root *trep- "to turn"). Isotropous is from 1859.