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 non-linear

Contemporary Examples of non-linear

He is known to be difficult, because of his love of the Latinate, and his non-linear, digressive, even symphonic, narrative style.
Nigeria’s Larger-Than-Life Nobel Laureate Chronicles a Fascinating Life
Chimamanda Adichie
August 9, 2014
The messy, complex, non-linear movement of actual history, by contrast, is unsettling, humbling—even terrifying.
How ‘Cosmos’ Bungles the History of Religion and Science
David Sessions
March 23, 2014
I started out approaching a novel the way I write stories, which is in a non-linear and exploratory way.
Karen Russell: How I Write
Noah Charney
February 6, 2013
Not surprisingly, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe was written in a non-linear fashion.
Best New Writers
Sarah Weinman
May 24, 2010

Historical Examples of non-linear

They are constitutive of non-linear forms of complementarity.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
Linearity is effectively supplanted by non-linear descriptions of the many interlocking factors at work.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
The literate argument of science and multimedia's non-linear heuristic path to science are fundamentally different.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
The relations between the elements involved are non-linear and change continuously.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
Equations, whether ordinary or partial, can also be classified as linear or non-linear.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia
Various

British Dictionary definitions for non-linear

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 non-linear

adj.

also nonlinear, 1844, from non- + linear.

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.

non-linear in Medicine

linear

[lĭn′ē-ər]

adj.

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

non-linear in Science

linear

[lĭn′ē-ər]

Being or resembling a line.