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  

/ ˌældʒɪˈbreɪɪst, 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 2013, UC approved a data science course, submitted by Los Angeles Unified, to broaden math options, and by 2020 allowed such courses to substitute for advanced algebra.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

“If your daughter needs tutoring in algebra, you can probably find someone cheaper than Albert Einstein,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

"There's a terrible algebra situation going on here of all of these things will equal 'bye-bye'."

From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026

So Idle workshopped it — did the algebra, as he described it — and wound up with a new, zingier joke he preferred.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026

I liked my social studies and algebra classes in the afternoon.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

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

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

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

From Nature ● Sep. 28, 2020

Borcherds’ discovery touched off a revolution in pure mathematics, leading to a new field known as generalized Kac-Moody algebras.

From Scientific American ● Apr. 7, 2015

Damp smelling books were here and there among the ruins, histories, arithmetics, algebras and grammars.

From Pee-Wee Harris on the Trail by Percy Keese Fitzhugh

Related Words

• calculation
• calculus
• geometry
• math