eigenvalue

American

[ahy-guhn-val-yoo] / ˈaɪ gənˌvæl ju /

noun

Mathematics.

characteristic root.

eigenvalue British

/ ˈaɪɡənˌvæljuː /

noun

maths physics one of the particular values of a certain parameter for which a differential equation or matrix equation has an eigenfunction. In wave mechanics an eigenvalue is equivalent to the energy of a quantum state of a system

"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 eigenvalue

1925–30; partial translation of German Eigenwert, equivalent to eigen- characteristic, particular + Wert value

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

eigenvalue

Between the hours Urschel spent fending off nose tackles and studying eigenvalue problems, he barely saw the woman he would marry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

For example, a bit flip on the first qubit will result in the measured eigenvalue of becoming −1.

From Nature ● Sep. 12, 2017

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