hyperstructure

English

Etymology

From hyper- +‎ structure.

Noun

hyperstructure (plural hyperstructures)

1. (mathematics) Any algebraic structure equipped with a hyperoperation.
2. (mathematics) A set of sets or a system of systems.
   • 2013 -, Holger Berg, Transitions of Energy Regimes: An Evolutionary Economic Interpretation, →ISBN:

     One has also to remember that within a hyperstructure - which a regime resembles - not every entity and organization has to be in the same area of state space.

3. (architecture) A very densely populated habitat, as in arcology.
   • 2011, Richard T. LeGates, Frederic Stout, The City Reader, →ISBN:

     With historical landscapes erased, with megastructures and superblocks as primary components, and with an increasingly dense and self-contained circulation system, the new financial district is best conceived as a single, demonically self-referential hyperstructure, a Miesian skyscape raised to dementia.

4. (computing) A set of documents interlinked by hyperlinks, along with the links between documents.
   • 1991, André Lichnerowicz, Intelligent text and image handling:

     The editing process is split between the hyperstructure editing process and the content editing process: the hyperstructure editing enables the editing of the constituents defined in the hyperstructure: nodes, links, hyperdocuments etc .

   • 1993, B. Z. Barta, John Eccleston, Rudolf Hambusch, Computer mediated education of information technology professionals and advanced end-users, page 159:

     There are close relationships between these items. For example, a syntax rule presented by text, and its corresponding concept illustrated by a cartoon have a close relation. Therefore, a function is needed to support the reference operation freely between closely related items. A hyperstructure is used to achieve this function.

   • 1995, Conference Proceedings: Annual SIGDOC Volume 13:

     Hyperstructure hotlists provide two valuable enhancements to conventional WWW indexing tools.