scalar

[ skey-ler ]

adjective
  1. representable by position on a scale or line; having only magnitude: a scalar variable.

  2. of, relating to, or utilizing a scalar.

  1. ladderlike in arrangement or organization; graduated: a scalar structure for promoting personnel.

noun
  1. Mathematics, Physics. a quantity possessing only magnitude.: Compare vector (def. 1a).

Origin of scalar

1
First recorded in 1650–60, scalar is from the Latin word scālāris of a ladder. See scale3, -ar1

Words Nearby scalar

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use scalar in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scalar

scalar

/ (ˈskeɪlə) /


noun
  1. a quantity, such as time or temperature, that has magnitude but not direction: Compare vector (def. 1), tensor (def. 2), pseudoscalar, pseudovector

  2. maths an element of a field associated with a vector space

adjective
  1. having magnitude but not direction

Origin of scalar

1
C17 (meaning: resembling a ladder): from Latin scālāris, from scāla ladder

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for scalar

scalar

[ skālər ]


  1. A quantity, such as mass, length, or speed, whose only property is magnitude; a number. Compare vector.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.