polynomial

American  

[pol-uh-noh-mee-uhl] / ˌpɒl əˈnoʊ mi əl /

adjective

1. consisting of or characterized by two or more names or terms.

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noun

1. Algebra.

   1. (in one variable) an expression consisting of the sum of two or more terms each of which is the product of a constant and a variable raised to an integral power: ax 2 + bx + c is a polynomial, where a, b, and c are constants and x is a variable.

   2. a similar expression in more than one variable, as 4 x 2 y 3 − 3 xy + 5 x + 7.

   3. Also called multinomial.  Now Rare. any expression consisting of the sum of two or more terms, as 4 x 3 + cos x.

2. a polynomial name or term.

3. Biology. a species name containing more than two terms.

polynomial British  

/ ˌpɒlɪˈnəʊmɪəl /

adjective

1. of, consisting of, or referring to two or more names or terms

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noun

1. 1. a mathematical expression consisting of a sum of terms each of which is the product of a constant and one or more variables raised to a positive or zero integral power. For one variable, x , the general form is given by: a 0 xn + a 1 xn ^–1 + … + an –1 x + an , where a 0 , a 1 , etc, are real numbers

   2. Also called: multinomial.  any mathematical expression consisting of the sum of a number of terms

2. biology a taxonomic name consisting of more than two terms, such as Parus major minor in which minor designates the subspecies

polynomial Scientific  

/ pŏl′ē-nō′mē-əl /

1. An algebraic expression that is the sum of two or more monomials. The expressions x ² − 4 and 5 x ⁴ + 2 x ³ − x + 7 are both polynomials.

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Etymology

Origin of polynomial

First recorded in 1665–75; poly- + (bi)nomial

Explanation

In math, a polynomial is a mathematical expression that contains two or more algebraic terms that are added, subtracted, or multiplied (no division allowed!). Polynomial expressions include at least one variable and typically include constants and positive exponents as well. The expression x² − 4x + 7 is a polynomial. You can break the word polynomial into parts to understand it more clearly. Poly means "many" in Greek, and nomial comes from the Latin nomen, or "name." In a mathematical context, this becomes "many terms." There are a few other rules about polynomials (exponents must be positive integers, for example), and your math teacher can fill you in on them.

Example Sentences

Back in class, the students fielded Howland’s questions about polynomial functions.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 25, 2023

But ∛2 belongs to the algebraic numbers, which can be written as solution of a polynomial equation.

From Scientific American • May 23, 2023

He says some of the published data presented by Dias and Salamat could be represented by a smooth polynomial curve—impossible for noisy laboratory measurements.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 26, 2022

The binomial is a factor of the 3. polynomial.

From Textbooks • Sep. 23, 2020

As I mentioned in the original note, it would be interesting to see if this number satisfies a simple polynomial of degree > 34.

From Miscellaneous Mathematical Constants by Plouffe, Simon