Trichotomy

Look up trichotomy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A trichotomy is a splitting into three parts, and, apart from its normal literal meaning, can refer to:

• trichotomy (mathematics), in the mathematical field of order theory
• trichotomy (philosophy), for the theological idea that man has a threefold nature; also for a three-way classificatory division, especially when done according to a pattern
• In taxonomy, a trichotomy is speciation of three groups from a common ancestor, where it is unclear or unknown in what chronological order the three groups split.

See also

• Tripartite (disambiguation)