Irregular

Irregular

Something that is irregular does not follow the expected pattern. The term is used in many different fields, with quite different meanings.

* In astronomy, an astronomical object whose shape or behavior varies considerably from the archetype is called an irregular. This applies to irregular galaxy, irregular variable, asteroid, crater, orbit, planet, moon or natural satellite.

* In language, it is applied to a word that does not follow the most common rules of the language, such as irregular verb, plural or spelling. See irregularity (linguistics).

* In business, law, politics, science and related fields, an irregular procedure, typically called an irregularity, is an action that does not completely follow the agreed standards, though it does not violate them. By itself, a single irregularity is of little consequence, but when many irregularities occur together, they may be signs of hidden fraud, misconduct or malfeasance. See creative accounting and 2004 U.S. presidential election controversy and irregularities for examples.

* In manufacturing, an irregular is a product that does not meet the accepted levels of quality, but still available for sale, typically in outlet stores or secondary markets at a lower price.

* In military terms, an irregular is a soldier who is not part of the official regular army, or does not follow regular army tactics. See irregular military.

* In medicine, anything that does not follow the expected healthy pattern may be called irregular, such as irregular heartbeat or irregular menstrual cycle.

* In mathematics, something that falls below the definition of the perfect archetype may be called irregular, such as irregular prime, polygon or polyhedron. The irregularity is an invariant of algebraic surfaces.

* In chess, an opening that is little used and less studied is called an irregular chess opening.

See also

* Regular
* Anomaly
* Baker Street Irregulars
* Irregular Webcomic!
* Maverick (Mega Man)


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  • Irregular — Ir*reg u*lar, a. [Pref. ir not + regular: cf. F. irr[ e]gulier.] Not regular; not conforming to a law, method, or usage recognized as the general rule; not according to common form; not conformable to nature, to the rules of moral rectitude, or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • irregular — ir‧reg‧u‧lar [ɪˈregjlə ǁ ər] adjective not obeying the usually accepted legal or moral rules: • There were some warning signals that something irregular was going on. • highly irregular trading activities irregularity noun [countable,… …   Financial and business terms

  • irregular — irregular, anomalous, unnatural mean outside the sphere of what conforms to or is explainable by law, rule, custom, or principle. Irregular implies failure to conform to a rule, a law, or a pattern, especially to one imposed for the sake of… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • irregular — adjetivo 1. Área: gramática [Verbo, participio, conjugación] que no sigue la regla o norma general. 2. Que no es regular o uniforme: una respiración irregular. Era difícil andar porque el terreno era muy irregular. Tiene unos horarios muy… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • irregular — (Del lat. irregulāris). 1. adj. Que está fuera de regla. 2. Contrario a ella. 3. Que no observa siempre el mismo comportamiento, o no rinde del mismo modo. 4. Que no sucede común y ordinariamente. 5. Geom. Dicho de un polígono o de un poliedro:… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • irregular — [i reg′yə lər] adj. [ME < OFr irregulier < ML irregularis: see IN 2 & REGULAR] 1. not conforming to established rule, method, usage, standard, etc.; out of the ordinary; anomalous 2. not conforming to legal or moral requirements; lawless;… …   English World dictionary

  • irregular — ir·reg·u·lar /ir re gyə lər/ adj: not in accord with laws, rules, procedures, or established custom ir·reg·u·lar·ly adv Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. ir …   Law dictionary

  • irregular — [adj1] random, variable aberrant, aimless, capricious, casual, changeable, designless, desultory, disconnected, discontinuous, eccentric, erratic, faltering, fitful, fluctuating, fragmentary, haphazard, hit or miss*, inconstant, indiscriminate,… …   New thesaurus

  • irregulär — irregulär:1.⇨ungesetzlich–2.⇨ungewöhnlich irregulär 1.→gesetzwidrig 2.außerplanmäßig,regelwidrig,ungewöhnlich,unüblich,unregelmäßig,anormal,atypisch,abnorm …   Das Wörterbuch der Synonyme

  • irregular — ► ADJECTIVE 1) not regular in shape, arrangement, or occurrence. 2) contrary to a rule, standard, or convention. 3) not belonging to regular army units. 4) Grammar (of a word) having inflections that do not conform to the usual rules. ► NOUN ▪ a… …   English terms dictionary

  • Irregular — Ir*reg u*lar, n. One who is not regular; especially, a soldier not in regular service. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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