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Algol

1 American  
[al-gol, -gawl] / ˈæl gɒl, -gɔl /

noun

  1. a star of the second magnitude in the constellation Perseus: the first known and most famous eclipsing binary star.

ALGOL 2 American  
[al-gol, -gawl] / ˈæl gɒl, -gɔl /
Computers.

  1. a computer language in which information is expressed in algebraic notation and according to the rules of Boolean algebra.

Algol 1 British  
/ ˈælɡɒl /

noun

  1. the second brightest star in Perseus, the first known eclipsing binary. Visual magnitude: 2.2–3.5; period: 68.8 hours; spectral type (brighter component): B8V

"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
Algol 2 British  
/ ˈælɡɒl /

noun

  1. a computer programming language designed for mathematical and scientific purposes; a high-level language

"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

Etymology

Origin of Algol1

1350–1400; Middle English < Arabic, equivalent to al the + ghūl ghoul; as translation of Greek (Ptolemy) gorgónion the head of the Gorgon Medusa, held by Perseus

Origin of ALGOL2

1955–60; algo(rithmic) l(anguage)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.