algebra
Americannoun
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algebras
plural
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the branch of mathematics that deals with general statements of relations, utilizing letters and other symbols to represent specific sets of numbers, values, vectors, etc., in the description of such relations.
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any of several algebraic systems, especially a ring in which elements can be multiplied by real or complex numbers linear algebra as well as by other elements of the ring.
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any special system of notation adapted to the study of a special system of relationship.
algebra of classes.
noun
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a branch of mathematics in which arithmetical operations and relationships are generalized by using alphabetic symbols to represent unknown numbers or members of specified sets of numbers
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the branch of mathematics dealing with more abstract formal structures, such as sets, groups, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of algebra
1535–45; < Medieval Latin < Arabic al-jabr literally, restoration
Explanation
If the math equation you're doing has letters or other symbols that stand for numbers, you're likely doing algebra. You probably took your first algebra class early in your high school years. The noun algebra comes from Arabic word al jebr, meaning "reunion of broken parts," which appeared in the title of mathematician al-Khwarizmi's famous book on equations. In algebra you use basic arithmetic like addition and subtraction, but the quantities you're working with are often unknown — that's why they're represented by letters. You might remember solving algebra equations that look like this: a(b + c) = ab + ac. The letters a, b, and c all represent a number.
Vocabulary lists containing algebra
English Words Derived from Arabic
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Expressions and Equations
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Boole translated logic into algebra—with an algebra of logic, or Boolean algebra—transforming logic from a philosophical, rule-based system into a mathematical, symbolic one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
Yet rather than attribute the recent five-year drop only to the pandemic, you point to the state’s decision in 2013 to stop requiring algebra for all eighth-graders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
Despite leaving school at a young age and initially finding terms like "decimals" and "algebra" intimidating, Mr Elsom is said to have quite a talent for working with figures.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025
Teaching mild to moderate special education students algebra and trying to make that entertaining was a lot harder than performing at a comedy club.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025
She didn’t know that much about algebra yet, but it seemed that sometimes there were x's and y’s both in a problem, and you only needed to find the value for one of them.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
By the 1970s, Connes had made strides towards a complete classification of particular systems of operators known as Von Neumann algebras.
From Nature ● Sep. 28, 2020
In 1984, while working at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Jones came across some formulas that his nested algebras satisfied.
From Nature ● Sep. 28, 2020
One result, now known as the Jones index theorem, showed that when these algebras are nested within one another, their relative sizes conform to precise but enigmatic numerical ratios.
From Nature ● Sep. 28, 2020
Meanwhile, Gell-Mann continued pursuing the theory of quarks, refining his ideas about current algebras.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 6, 2019
There were also a few arithmetics and algebras, a historical novel or two, and the inevitable copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin, whose pages I had freely moistened with my tears.
From The Story of a Pioneer by Shaw, Anna Howard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
