non-abelianadj.
/ˌnɒnəˈbiːlɪən/, U.S. /ˌnɑnəˈbilj(ə)n/, /ˌnɑnəˈbiliən/ Mathematics.
Esp. of a group: not abelian.
ΚΠ
1899 Amer. Jrnl. Math. 21 290 If at least one of the subgroups is non-Abelian, [etc.].
1949 H. Zassenhaus Theory of Groups iv. 116 We wish to find non-abelian groups of order pn which contain only one subgroup of order p. An example is the quaternion group. By the theorem of Hölder it is defined by the relations A4 = 1, BAB−1 = A−1, B2 = A2.
1989 H. M. Georgi in P. Davies New Physics xvi. 454/1 Gauge theories based on groups..are called non-Abelian because their group multiplication laws are not commutative.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1899