square root

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noun

a quantity of which a given quantity is the square: The quantities +6 and −6 are square roots of 36 since (+6)×(+6)=36 and (−6)×(−6)=36.

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Origin of square root

First recorded in 1550–60

Words nearby square root

square peg in a round hole, square piano, square-rigged, square-rigger, square rod, square root, square sail, square serif, square set, square shake, square shooter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use square root in a sentence

Imaginary numbers result from taking the square root of a negative number.
Quantum physics requires imaginary numbers to explain reality|Emily Conover|December 15, 2021|Science News
So as not to give a more prolific pollster too much influence over the average, polls are weighted by one over the square root of the number of polls each pollster conducted in a specific category.
The Death Of Polling Is Greatly Exaggerated|Nate Silver (nrsilver@fivethirtyeight.com)|March 25, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Spinors, which are a kind of square root of vectors, had been introduced in algebra and also in physics as part of Paul Dirac’s theory of the electron.
Isadore Singer Transcended Mathematical Boundaries|Daniel S. Freed|March 4, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Instead of establishing a universal constant, the best they could do was establish a factor that works out to roughly the square root of the dimension the shape lives in.
Statistics Postdoc Tames Decades-Old Geometry Problem|Erica Klarreich|March 1, 2021|Quanta Magazine

Averages are weighted by the square root of the number of polls that a particular pollster conducted for that particular type of election in that particular cycle.
Is Tonight’s Presidential Debate Too Late To Shake Up The Race?|Sarah Frostenson (sarah.frostenson@abc.com)|October 22, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
A Republican candidate hoping to win red state support could find a worse team to root for than one from Dallas.
Will Chris Christie Regret His Cowboy Hug?|Matt Lewis|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Last summer, I spoke with first black supermodel Beverly Johnson about this for The Root.
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem|Danielle Belton|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Some longtime local acquaintances are struggling to square the man they know with the ugly associations.
No. 3 Republican Admits Talking to White Supremacist Conference|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It has grown from a rotten root—striving to replace human judgment with detailed dictates.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This last trip it had felt as if there were more cameras around Havana than Times Square.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He is what the bill wishes to make for us, a regular root doctor, and will suit the place exactly.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Nowhere can be found a region capable of supporting a larger population to the square mile than Lombardy.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
But at the root of the unnatural miracles is the natural miracle—the heart of man.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
You see, I stuck to him like a log to a root, but for the first week or so 'twant no use—not a bit.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
For years his lordship was seldom seen in London, the great house in Grosvenor Square was never opened.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills

British Dictionary definitions for square root

square root

noun

a number or quantity that when multiplied by itself gives a given number or quantity2 is a square root of 4, usually written √4 or 4 1/2

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 square root

square root

A number that, when squared, yields a given number. For example, since 5 X 5 = 25, the square root of 25 (written √25) is 5.

Cultural definitions for square root

square root

A number that, when multiplied by itself, will result in a given number. The square root of four is two; the square root of one hundred is ten.

notes for square root

The square roots of many numbers, such as three, are irrational numbers.