partial derivative

noun Mathematics.

the derivative of a function with respect to one of its variables with all other variables held constant.

QUIZZES

Discover The Influence Of Portuguese On English Via This Quiz!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

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Words nearby partial derivative

parti-coloured, partial, partial agglutinin, partial antigen, partial denture, partial derivative, partial differential, partial differential equation, partial differentiation, partial eclipse, partial fraction

Origin of partial derivative

First recorded in 1970–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for partial derivative

partial derivative

noun

the derivative of a function of two or more variables with respect to one of the variables, the other or others being considered constant. Written ∂f/∂ x

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

Scientific definitions for partial derivative

partial derivative

[ pär′shəl ]

The derivative with respect to a single variable of a function of two or more variables, regarding other variables as constants.