algorithm

noun al·go·rithm \ ˈal-gə-ˌri-t͟həm \

Definition of algorithm

:a procedure for solving a mathematical problem (as of finding the greatest common divisor) in a finite number of steps that frequently involves repetition of an operation; broadly :a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end especially by a computer

a search algorithm

—

algorithmic

play \ˌal-gə-ˈrit͟h-mik\ adjective

—

algorithmically

play \-mi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See algorithm defined for English-language learners

See algorithm defined for kids

Recent Examples of algorithm from the Web

The predictive map uses an algorithm that draws on 50,000 pieces of data including historical temperatures and precipitation, forecasted temperatures and precipitation, historical leaf peak trends, and observation trends.

— jessica mattern, Country Living, "This Fall Foliage Map Predicts When Leaves Will Change Color in Your Area," 23 Aug. 2017
The perfect keratin algorithm dwells at a sweet spot that cosmetic companies have spent decades trying to hit.

— ashley weatherford, The Cut, "The Best New Shampoo Is Made From Human Hair," 15 Aug. 2017
In a blog posted last week, the company announced a new search algorithm for apps available on the Google Play Store.

— gene marks, chicagotribune.com, "Google just made its Play Store apps a little better," 13 Aug. 2017
Navlakha developed an algorithm to find the optimal network for different trade-off percentages.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Plants, brains, engineered networks share unifying principles," 31 July 2017
Siyavula’s algorithms adjust its questioning so that users get the right answer about 70% of the time.

— The Economist, "EdtechTechnology is transforming what happens when a child goes to school," 22 July 2017
With the help of an algorithm, Leana Wen, Baltimore’s health commissioner, makes decisions about where to supply naloxone kits, prioritizing needle exchanges because addicts who inject drugs are at a high risk of overdosing.

— nicole lewis, Washington Post, "As opioid overdoses exact a higher price, communities ponder who should be saved," 15 July 2017
Just about any product could have a unique identifier that links to production data, if not a full digital twin, reckons Thomas Körmendi, the chief executive of Kezzler, a Norwegian company that produces secure product codes using an algorithm.

— The Economist, "The Gemini makersMillions of things will soon have digital twins," 13 July 2017
The first three companies to receive financing are a maker of cameras that monitor drivers and roads, a creator of autonomous car-mapping algorithms and a developer of robotic companions for the elderly.

— john lippert, Bloomberg.com, "Toyota Invests $100 Million in Fund for AI, Robotic Startups," 11 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'algorithm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

What Does algorithm Mean?

The current term of choice for a problem-solving procedure, algorithm, is commonly used nowadays for the set of rules a machine (and especially a computer) follows to achieve a particular goal. It does not always apply to computer-mediated activity, however. The term may as accurately be used of the steps followed in making a pizza or solving a Rubik’s Cube as for computer-powered data analysis.

Algorithm is often paired with words specifying the activity for which a set of rules have been designed. A search algorithm, for example, is a procedure that determines what kind of information is retrieved from a large mass of data. An encryption algorithm is a set of rules by which information or messages are encoded so that unauthorized persons cannot read them.

Though first attested in the early 20th century (and, until recently, used strictly as a term of mathematics and computing), algorithm has a surprisingly deep history. It was formed from algorism “the system of Arabic numerals,” a word that goes back to Middle English and ultimately stems from the name of a 9th-century Persian mathematician, abu-Jaʽfar Mohammed ibn-Mūsa al-Khuwārizmi, who did important work in the fields of algebra and numeric systems.

Origin and Etymology of algorithm

alteration of Middle English algorisme, from Old French & Medieval Latin; Old French, from Medieval Latin algorismus, from Arabic al-khuwārizmi, from al-Khwārizmī flourished a.d. 825 Islamic mathematician

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1926

See Words from the same year