heterotopia

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heterotopia

/ˌhɛt(ə)ɹəˈtəʊpiə/ UK
/ˌhɛtəɹəˈtoʊpiə/ US
/ˌhɛtəɹoʊˈtoʊpiə/ US

Rhymes with -əʊpiə

Where it comes from

From hetero- + -topia.

noun heterotopias

countable, uncountable Normal tissue (or an organ) present at an abnormal part of the body
Similar: allotopia, ectopia, ectopy, dystopia, malposition
countable, uncountable The occurrence of an organism in a number of different habitats
countable, uncountable A space which is alien to what is normal within the society, variably presenting a utopian vision in physical form or serving to segregate subversive elements from the wider society. Michel Foucault gave the museum and the mental hospital as two different examples of heterotopias.

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MLA

"heterotopia." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/heterotopia. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

heterotopia. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/heterotopia

Chicago

"heterotopia." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/heterotopia.

BibTeX

@misc{heterotopia_2026,
  title = {heterotopia},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/heterotopia},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}