Polynomial

How to spell polynomial

10 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce polynomial

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does polynomial mean?

1. nounAn algebraic expression made up of several terms, each combining variables and coefficients, added or subtracted together.
2. adjectiveRelating to or consisting of more than two algebraic terms.

Polynomial in a sentence

• noun

  The student factored the polynomial into two simpler brackets.

• adjective

  The software fitted the data using a polynomial regression model.

• noun

  Each curve on the graph was described by a different polynomial.

• adjective

  The engineer applied a polynomial function to smooth the readings.

Where does polynomial come from?

Language of origin: Greek

Polynomial is a seventeenth-century mathematical coinage built by analogy. The first part is the Greek prefix poly-, meaning 'many', the same element found in words such as polygon and polygamy. The second part, -nomial, was lifted from the older term binomial, an expression of two terms, which itself was formed from the Latin bi-, meaning 'two', joined to a fragment traced back to the Latin nomen, meaning 'name' or 'term'. When mathematicians needed a word for an expression of many terms, they simply swapped the 'two' element for the 'many' element, producing polynomial. This blending of a Greek prefix with a Latinate ending is why the word can feel awkward to spell: the single 'l' before the suffix and the unstressed 'i' in '-mial' are the easy places to slip. The word settled into English mathematics in the 1600s and has kept its precise technical sense ever since.

How the word is built

• poly- (Greek: many)
• -nomial (extracted from binomial, ultimately Latin nomen: name/term)
• -al (adjective/noun ending)