algebra

al·ge·bra

noun \ˈal-jə-brə\

Definition of ALGEBRA

1

: a generalization of arithmetic in which letters representing numbers are combined according to the rules of arithmetic

2

: any of various systems or branches of mathematics or logic concerned with the properties and relationships of abstract entities (as complex numbers, matrices, sets, vectors, groups, rings, or fields) manipulated in symbolic form under operations often analogous to those of arithmetic — compare boolean algebra

— al·ge·bra·ist \-ˌbrā-ist\ noun

Origin of ALGEBRA

Medieval Latin, from Arabic al-jabr, literally, the reduction

First Known Use: 1551

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb