linear

[lin-ee-er]

adjective

of, consisting of, or using lines: linear design.
pertaining to or represented by lines: linear dimensions.
extended or arranged in a line: a linear series.

involving measurement in one dimension only; pertaining to length: linear measure.
of or relating to the characteristics of a work of art in which forms and rhythms are defined chiefly in terms of line.
having the form of or resembling a line: linear nebulae.
Mathematics.
1. consisting of, involving, or describable by terms of the first degree.
2. having the same effect on a sum as on each of the summands: a linear operation.
Electronics. delivering an output that is directly proportional to the input: a linear circuit; a linear amplifier.
threadlike; narrow and elongated: a linear leaf.

Origin of linear

First recorded in 1635–45, linear is from the Latin word līneāris of, belonging to lines. See line¹, -ar¹

Related formslin·e·ar·ly, adverbnon·lin·e·ar, adjectivesub·lin·e·ar, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for linearly

Contemporary Examples of linearly

Did you write it linearly, or write each story and then break them apart?
A Fierce Debut
Jennie Yabroff
March 9, 2011

Historical Examples of linearly

As the intensity of the gravitational field decreased, the velocity of the ship increased—not linearly, but logarithmically.
Unwise Child
Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for linearly

linear

adjective

of, in, along, or relating to a line
of or relating to length
resembling, represented by, or consisting of a line or lines
having one dimension
designating a style in the arts, esp painting, that obtains its effects through line rather than colour or light and in which the edges of forms and planes are sharply definedCompare painterly
maths of or relating to the first degreea linear equation
narrow and having parallel edgesa linear leaf
electronics
1. (of a circuit, etc) having an output that is directly proportional to inputlinear amplifier
2. having components arranged in a line

Derived Formslinearity (ˌlɪnɪˈærɪtɪ), nounlinearly, adverb

Word Origin for linear

C17: from Latin līneāris of or by means of lines

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 linearly

linear

adj.

1640s, from French linéaire, from Latin linearis "belonging to a line," from linea "string, line" (see line (n.)). Essentially the same word as lineal; "in Latin linearis the original suffix -alis was dissimilated to -aris, but in Late Latin this rule was no longer productive and the formation or re-formation in -alis remained unchanged." [Barnhart]. Linear A and Linear B (1902-3) were names given to two related forms of linear Minoan writing discovered 1894-1901 in Crete by Sir Arthur Evans.

linearly in Medicine

linear

[lĭn′ē-ər]

adj.

Of, relating to, or resembling a line; straight.

linearly in Science

linear

[lĭn′ē-ər]

Being or resembling a line.