algebra

American  

[al-juh-bruh] / ˈæl dʒə brə /

noun

• algebras
  plural

1. the branch of mathematics that deals with general statements of relations, utilizing letters and other symbols to represent specific sets of numbers, values, vectors, etc., in the description of such relations.

2. any of several algebraic systems, especially a ring in which elements can be multiplied by real or complex numbers linear algebra as well as by other elements of the ring.

3. any special system of notation adapted to the study of a special system of relationship.

   algebra of classes.

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algebra British  

/ ˈældʒɪbrə /

noun

1. a branch of mathematics in which arithmetical operations and relationships are generalized by using alphabetic symbols to represent unknown numbers or members of specified sets of numbers

2. the branch of mathematics dealing with more abstract formal structures, such as sets, groups, etc

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algebra Scientific  

/ ăl′jə-brə /

1. A branch of mathematics in which symbols, usually letters of the alphabet, represent numbers or quantities and express general relationships that hold for all members of a specified set.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• algebraist
  noun
• prealgebra
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• algebras
  plural

Etymology

Origin of algebra

1535–45; < Medieval Latin < Arabic al-jabr literally, restoration

Explanation

If the math equation you're doing has letters or other symbols that stand for numbers, you're likely doing algebra. You probably took your first algebra class early in your high school years. The noun algebra comes from Arabic word al jebr, meaning "reunion of broken parts," which appeared in the title of mathematician al-Khwarizmi's famous book on equations. In algebra you use basic arithmetic like addition and subtraction, but the quantities you're working with are often unknown — that's why they're represented by letters. You might remember solving algebra equations that look like this: a(b + c) = ab + ac. The letters a, b, and c all represent a number.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

algebra algebras

In 2023 and 2024, UC’s faculty admissions board reversed that ruling, finding that three of the most popular data science classes were too light on algebra to count.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Their product, I CAN Learn, was an interactive, computer-based algebra program.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

Boole translated logic into algebra—with an algebra of logic, or Boolean algebra—transforming logic from a philosophical, rule-based system into a mathematical, symbolic one.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

As a 15-year-old in algebra class, he wrote the song “Kryptonite,” drumming out the beat on his desk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2026

Traveler and I had been texting through morning classes, and with only a few minutes until algebra began, I had my phone under my desk, rereading our messages.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Jones’s speciality, operator algebras, provided a powerful tool in the study of knots.

From Nature ● Sep. 28, 2020

In 1984, while working at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Jones came across some formulas that his nested algebras satisfied.

From Nature ● Sep. 28, 2020

By the 1970s, Connes had made strides towards a complete classification of particular systems of operators known as Von Neumann algebras.

From Nature ● Sep. 28, 2020

Meanwhile, Gell-Mann continued pursuing the theory of quarks, refining his ideas about current algebras.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 6, 2019

There were also a few arithmetics and algebras, a historical novel or two, and the inevitable copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin, whose pages I had freely moistened with my tears.

From The Story of a Pioneer by Anna Howard Shaw

Related Words

• calculation
• calculus
• geometry
• math