algorithm

C2+ Topic:Technology & Computing

US /ˈælɡəˌrɪðəm/ UK /ˈalɡərɪðəm/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or computation

The search algorithm ranks pages by relevance and freshness.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a step-by-step procedure... procedure method process routine formula program

Word family

Derived forms algorithmicalgorithmically

Related forms algorismlogarithm

Simplified etymology

Algorithm entered English in the late 17th century from al-Khwārizmī, the surname of a ninth-century mathematician.

Etymology

An alteration (influenced by Greek arithmós, 'number') of Medieval Latin algorismus, from the name of the Persian mathematician al-Khwārizmī (c. 780–850), author of an influential treatise on arithmetic.

algorismus Latin al-Khwārizmī Arabic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Technology & Computing

External links

# algorithm

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈælɡəˌrɪðəm/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈalɡərɪðəm/

## Meanings
1. a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or computation

## Examples
- The search algorithm ranks pages by relevance and freshness.

## Synonyms
- procedure
- method
- process
- routine
- formula
- program

## Derived Forms
- algorithmic
- algorithmically

## Related Forms
- algorism
- logarithm

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: algorismus
- Root: al-Khwārizmī

## Etymology
An alteration (influenced by Greek arithmós, 'number') of Medieval Latin algorismus, from the name of the Persian mathematician al-Khwārizmī (c. 780–850), author of an influential treatise on arithmetic.

## AI Etymology
algorithm is an alteration (influenced by Greek arithmós, 'number') of Medieval Latin algorismus, from the name of the Persian mathematician al-Khwārizmī (c. 780–850), author of an influential treatise on arithmetic. The formation is best read through the historical forms named above, with the modern spelling preserving the outcome of that older derivational path. In modern use, the noun sense is "a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or computation", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as algorism, logarithm and derivatives such as algorithmic, algorithmically, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Latin algorismus, Arabic al-Khwārizmī, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Technology & Computing

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