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definitions

algebra

[al-juh-bruh]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR algebra ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.
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.
any special system of notation adapted to the study of a special system of relationship: algebra of classes.

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RELATED WORDS

calculation, calculus, geometry, math, division, addition, multiplication, subtraction, numbers, trigonometry

Nearby words

  1. algal,
  2. algar,
  3. algaroth powder,
  4. algarroba,
  5. algarve,
  6. algebra of sets,
  7. algebraic,
  8. algebraic equation,
  9. algebraic expression,
  10. algebraic extension

Origin of algebra

1535–45; < Medieval Latin < Arabic al-jabr literally, restoration
Related formspre·al·ge·bra, noun, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for algebra

British Dictionary definitions for algebra

algebra

noun

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
the branch of mathematics dealing with more abstract formal structures, such as sets, groups, etc
Derived Formsalgebraist (ˌældʒɪˈbreɪɪst), noun

Word Origin for algebra

C14: from Medieval Latin, from Arabic al-jabr the bone-setting, reunification, mathematical reduction
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for algebra

algebra

n.

1550s, from Medieval Latin algebra, from Arabic al jebr "reunion of broken parts," as in computation, used 9c. by Baghdad mathematician Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi as the title of his famous treatise on equations ("Kitab al-Jabr w'al-Muqabala" "Rules of Reintegration and Reduction"), which also introduced Arabic numerals to the West. The accent shifted 17c. from second syllable to first. The word was used in English 15c.-16c. to mean "bone-setting," probably from Arab medical men in Spain.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for algebra

algebra

[ăl′jə-brə]

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for algebra

algebra

A branch of mathematics marked chiefly by the use of symbols (see also symbol) to represent numbers, as in the use of a2 + b2 = c2 to express the Pythagorean theorem.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.