algebra

American  

[al-juh-bruh] / ˈæl dʒə brə /

noun

• algebras
  plural

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. any special system of notation adapted to the study of a special system of relationship.

   algebra of classes.

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algebra British  

/ ˈældʒɪbrə /

noun

1. 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

2. the branch of mathematics dealing with more abstract formal structures, such as sets, groups, etc

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algebra Scientific  

/ ăl′jə-brə /

1. A branch of mathematics in which symbols, usually letters of the alphabet, represent numbers or quantities and express general relationships that hold for all members of a specified set.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• algebraist
  noun
• prealgebra
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• algebras
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

algebra algebras

In 2013, UC approved a data science course, submitted by Los Angeles Unified, to broaden math options, and by 2020 allowed such courses to substitute for advanced algebra.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

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

So Idle workshopped it — did the algebra, as he described it — and wound up with a new, zingier joke he preferred.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 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

I went to algebra, my last-period class, feeling confident because I had always done well in math.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

Jones’s main focus continued to be Von Neumann algebras and their connections to other fields.

From Nature ● Sep. 28, 2020

Jones’s speciality, operator algebras, provided a powerful tool in the study of knots.

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

Borcherds’ discovery touched off a revolution in pure mathematics, leading to a new field known as generalized Kac-Moody algebras.

From Scientific American ● Apr. 7, 2015

Per hundred 7.20             Algebra Some of these algebras are published both with and without answers.

From Complete Classified Price List of School and College Textbooks January 1915 by Anonymous

Related Words

• calculation
• calculus
• geometry
• math