transfinite

[ trans-fahy-nahyt ]

adjective

1. going beyond or surpassing the finite.

noun

1. transfinite number.

transfinite

/ trænsˈfaɪnaɪt /

adjective

1. extending beyond the finite

Word History and Origins

Origin of transfinite¹

First recorded in 1900–05; trans- + finite

Example Sentences

In Cantor’s mind there were an infinite number of infinities—the transfinite numbers—each nested in the other… At the top of the chain sits the ultimate infinity that engulfs all other infinities: God, the infinity that defies all comprehension.

From Literature

Cantor’s transfinite numbers were the worst of the lot.

From Literature

This class comprises integers, real numbers, transfinite numbers and infinitesimals—a structure that no one previously imagined was possible in which everything can be added, multiplied, and so on.

From Scientific American

Or: “Discovering sacrifices, for the Vedic gods, was like Western mathematicians discovering irrational or transfinite numbers.”

From Washington Post

The perfection of a truly transcendent or transfinite performance, the scene illustrates, involves no luck or accident.

From New York Times