algebra

Meaning

Noun

• A system for computation using letters or other symbols to represent numbers, with rules for manipulating these symbols.
• The surgical treatment of a dislocated or fractured bone. Also : a dislocation or fracture.
• The study of algebraic structures.
• A universal algebra.
• An algebraic structure consisting of a module over a commutative ring (or a vector space over a field) along with an additional binary operation that is bilinear over module (or vector) addition and scalar multiplication.
• A collection of subsets of a given set, such that this collection contains the empty set, and the collection is closed under unions and complements (and thereby also under intersections and differences).
• One of several other types of mathematical structure.
• A system or process, that is like algebra by substituting one thing for another, or in using signs, symbols, etc., to represent concepts or ideas.

Origin

• From Medieval Latin algebrāica, from Arabic word جبر in the title of al-Khwarizmi's influential work الْكِتَاب الْمُخْتَصَر فِي حِسَاب الْجَبْر وَالْمُقَابَلَة.