polynomial
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
A mathematical function that is the sum of a number of terms.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pahleenohmeeuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
pɑliˈnoʊmiəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
algebrastrict sense
A mathematical function that is the sum of a number of terms
algebrastrict sense
An expression consisting of a sum of a finite number of terms, each term being the product of a constant coefficient and one or more variables raised to a non-negative integer power, such as a_nxⁿ+a_n-1xⁿ⁻¹+...+a_0x⁰.
taxonomy
A taxonomic designation (such as of a subspecies) consisting of more than two terms.
adjective
algebra
Able to be described or limited by a polynomial.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A mathematical function that is the sum of a number of terms
Used this way, polynomial is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a mathematical use: it is defined precisely and belongs to working with figures and calculations rather than to ordinary conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Mathematics
- Geometry
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Other combinations
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The degree of the term in the polynomial that has the highest degree.
A polynomial consisting of terms all of the same degree.
A polynomial of the fourth degree.
A polynomial of the second degree.
A polynomial of the fourth degree.
A polynomial in one variable.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.