correlation
mutual relation of two or more things, parts, etc.: Studies find a positive correlation between severity of illness and nutritional status of the patients.
the act of correlating or state of being correlated.
Statistics. the degree to which two or more attributes or measurements on the same group of elements show a tendency to vary together.
Physiology. the interdependence or reciprocal relations of organs or functions.
Geology. the demonstrable equivalence, in age or lithology, of two or more stratigraphic units, as formations or members of such.
Origin of correlation
1- Also especially British, co·re·la·tion .
word story For correlation
Correlation has been in the English language since the 16th century. Its French cousin, corrélation, comes from Latin which literally means “restoring things together.” In English, we use it to describe a mutual relation between two things. Correlation is not to be confused with the word corollary, which is derived from an entirely different Latin root, corrollārium, a kind of ancient Roman gratuity, a “little something extra.”
In the 19th century, scholars of various disciplines adopted the term correlation to their specific areas of interest. In statistics, a correlation between two variables can be described as a numerical value. The words “positive,” “negative,” “strong,” and “direct” are often used as modifiers before correlation in this context. In the fields of biology and geology, researchers use correlation to help understand and describe various features of physiology and rock formations respectively. With the original meaning still in popular use, correlation is not just for mathematicians and scientists. Just be aware that if you casually mention correlation (in the general sense) to math enthusiasts, their initial responses might be to visualize a graph.
popular references For correlation
—Pearson correlation coefficient: a value between -1 and +1 that represents the relationship between two variables.
Other words for correlation
Other words from correlation
- cor·re·la·tion·al, adjective
- in·ter·cor·re·la·tion, noun
- mis·cor·re·la·tion, noun
- non·cor·re·la·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use correlation in a sentence
So, of course there was a correlation between the TV advertising and store sales.
Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 1: TV) (Ep. 440) | Stephen J. Dubner | November 19, 2020 | FreakonomicsNow, it’s become a reflection of who you are as a person and how other people in society see you…These are questions we’ve asked for years that have never had a significant partisan correlation for us.
For pollsters, it’s back to the drawing board after yet another miss in the 2020 election | reymashayekhi | November 17, 2020 | FortuneSo, you have all these multivariate correlations that go on around optimizations that may go underused or not be used at all across teams.
There is no direct correlation between shifting and team or defensive success.
The Nationals’ defensive philosophy is changing. Just look at the shift. | Jesse Dougherty | November 11, 2020 | Washington PostSo, this score isn’t very high, but there is a correlation and when you are looking for an edge and you know the impact speed has on conversion rates becomes very meaningful.
Page speed is a big deal – Why? It impacts SEO rankings | Jason Tabeling | November 6, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
British Dictionary definitions for correlation
/ (ˌkɒrɪˈleɪʃən) /
a mutual or reciprocal relationship between two or more things
the act or process of correlating or the state of being correlated
statistics the extent of correspondence between the ordering of two variables. Correlation is positive or direct when two variables move in the same direction and negative or inverse when they move in opposite directions
Origin of correlation
1Derived forms of correlation
- correlational, adjective
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
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