polynomial

[ pol-uh-noh-mee-uhl ]

adjective

1. consisting of or characterized by two or more names or terms.

noun

1. Algebra.
   1. (in one variable) an expression consisting of the sum of two or more terms each of which is the product of a constant and a variable raised to an integral power: ax 2 + bx + c is a polynomial, where a, b, and c are constants and x is a variable.
   2. a similar expression in more than one variable, as 4 x 2 y 3 − 3 xy + 5 x + 7.
   3. Now Rare. Also called multinomial. any expression consisting of the sum of two or more terms, as 4 x 3 + cos x.
2. a polynomial name or term.
3. Biology. a species name containing more than two terms.

polynomial

/ ˌpɒlɪˈnəʊmɪəl /

adjective

1. of, consisting of, or referring to two or more names or terms

noun

1. 1. a mathematical expression consisting of a sum of terms each of which is the product of a constant and one or more variables raised to a positive or zero integral power. For one variable, x , the general form is given by: a 0 xn + a 1 xn ^–1+ … + an –1 x + an , where a 0 , a 1 , etc, are real numbers
   2. Also calledmultinomial any mathematical expression consisting of the sum of a number of terms
2. biology a taxonomic name consisting of more than two terms, such as Parus major minor in which minor designates the subspecies

polynomial

/ pŏl′ē-nō′mē-əl /

1. An algebraic expression that is the sum of two or more monomials. The expressions x ² − 4 and 5 x ⁴ + 2 x ³ − x + 7 are both polynomials.

Word History and Origins

Origin of polynomial¹

First recorded in 1665–75; poly- + (bi)nomial

Example Sentences

Back in class, the students fielded Howland’s questions about polynomial functions.

From Seattle Times

And he rattles off mathematical terms such as “correlation coefficient” and “sixth order polynomial” that might not be familiar to his audience.

From Los Angeles Times

But ∛2 belongs to the algebraic numbers, which can be written as solution of a polynomial equation.

From Scientific American

Early in his career, he primarily dealt with the properties of polynomials, algebraic expressions with multiple terms, until he completed his doctorate at the University of Buenos Aires.

From Scientific American

He says some of the published data presented by Dias and Salamat could be represented by a smooth polynomial curve—impossible for noisy laboratory measurements.

From Science Magazine