Here's a breakdown:
* Hetero- comes from the Greek word "heteros," meaning "other" or "different."
* -geneous comes from the Greek word "genos," meaning "kind" or "race."
Therefore, heterogeneous literally means "of different kinds" or "of different origins."
Examples of heterogeneous:
* A heterogeneous mixture: A mixture where the components are not uniformly distributed, like sand and water.
* A heterogeneous society: A society with diverse ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds.
* A heterogeneous group: A group of people with different skills, experiences, and perspectives.
Opposite of Heterogeneous:
The opposite of heterogeneous is homogeneous, which means composed of similar or identical elements.