sporadic group

Meaning

Noun

• Any one of the 26 exceptional finite simple groups, which do not belong to any of the general, infinite categories specified by the classification theorem for finite simple groups.

Related

Narrower meaning words

• baby monster group, Conway group, Fischer group, Fischer–Griess monster group (= monster group), Harada–Norton group, Held group, Janko group, Lyons group, McLaughlin group, Mathieu group, monster group, Higman–Sims group, O'Nan group, pariah group, Rudvalis group, Suzuki group, Thompson group

Origin

• The earliest usage is thought to be that of English mathematician William Burnside in 1911, W. Burnside, Theory of Groups of Finite Order, 2nd Edition, in a comment about the Mathieu groups.