scalar

[skey-ler]

adjective

representable by position on a scale or line; having only magnitude: a scalar variable.

of, relating to, or utilizing a scalar.

ladderlike in arrangement or organization; graduated: a scalar structure for promoting personnel.

noun

Mathematics, Physics. a quantity possessing only magnitude.Compare vector(def 1a).

Origin of scalar

First recorded in 1650–60, scalar is from the Latin word scālāris of a ladder. See scale³, -ar¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for scalar

scalar

noun

a quantity, such as time or temperature, that has magnitude but not directionCompare vector (def. 1), tensor (def. 2), pseudoscalar, pseudovector

maths an element of a field associated with a vector space

adjective

having magnitude but not direction

Word Origin for scalar

C17 (meaning: resembling a ladder): from Latin scālāris, from scāla ladder

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 scalar

adj.

"resembling a ladder," 1650s, from Latin scalaris "of or pertaining to a ladder," from scalae (plural) "ladder, steps, flight of steps" (see scale (n.2)). Mathematical sense first recorded 1846.

scalar in Science

scalar

[skā′lər]

A quantity, such as mass, length, or speed, whose only property is magnitude; a number. Compare vector.