adj

simplex

Simplex (adj) means having a single structure; not composite or complex; undivided, unitary.

adj

Having a single structure; not composite or complex; undivided, unitary.

Of an eye: (supposedly) having pigment on only the posterior surface of the iris and not the anterior surface, and thus appearing blue; this was later found to be inaccurate, as eye colour is due to the amount of pigment in the anterior surface of the iris; also, of eye pigmentation: present only on the posterior surface of the iris; and of a person: having eyes with this form of pigmentation.

Of a circuit or device: involving signals which travel in one direction at a time; unidirectional.

Of a polyploid organism: having one dominant allele at a given locus on all homologous chromosomes.

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Etymology

The adjective is a learned borrowing from Latin simplex (“plain, simple; single”). The first part, sim-, comes from Proto-Indo-European *sem-, *sm̥- (“one; together”). The second part, -plex, may be from *pleḱ- (“to weave”). The noun is derived from the adjective. The plural forms simplices and simplicia are learned borrowings from Latin simplicēs (masculine or feminine) and simplicia (neuter), respectively plural forms of simplex. Noun sense 1 (“generalization of a triangle or tetrahedron to an arbitrary dimension”) was apparently coined by the Dutch mathematician Pieter Hendrik Schoute (1846–1913) as a short version of Simplicissimum in Mehrdimensionale Geometrie (in German, 1902). (In his pioneering works on algebraic topology, the French mathematician Henri Poincaré (1854–1912) had previously introduced the concept, but not the actual term simplex.)

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of simplex?

"simplex" (adj) means having a single structure; not composite or complex; undivided, unitary.

What are the different meanings of simplex?

"simplex" has 3 main meanings: 1. Having a single structure; not composite or complex; undivided, unitary; 2. Of an eye: (supposedly) having pigment on only the posterior surface of the iris and not the anterior surface, and thus appearing blue; this was later found to be inaccurate, as eye colour is due to the amount of pigment in the anterior surface of the iris; also, of eye pigmentation: present only on the posterior surface of the iris; and of a person: having eyes with this form of pigmentation; 3. Of a circuit or device: involving signals which travel in one direction at a time; unidirectional.