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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

algorithm en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈalɡəɹɪð(ə)m/ (British, Southern, Standard)
  • /ˈælɡəɹɪðm̩/
  • [ˈæɫɡəɹɪðm̩]
  • (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Arabic ال (al-) Old Persian *𐎢𐎺𐎠𐎼- (*u-v-a-r-) Old Persian *𐏀𐎷𐎡- (*z-mi-i-) Old Persian 𐎢𐎺𐎠𐎼𐏀𐎷𐎡𐎹 (u-v-a-r-z-mi-i-y)der. Old Persian 𐎢𐎺𐎠𐎼𐏀𐎷𐎡𐏁 (u-v-a-r-z-mi-i-š) Classical Persian خْوَارَزْم (xwārazm)bor. Arabic خَوَارِزْم (ḵawārizm) Proto-Afroasiatic Proto-Semitic Arabic ـِيّ (-iyy) Arabic خَوَارِزْمِيّ (ḵawārizmiyy) Arabic الخَوَارِزْمِيّ (al-ḵawārizmiyy)bor. Medieval Latin algorismusbor. Anglo-Norman algorismebor. Middle English algorisme English algorism ▲ English arithmo-influ. English algorithm From Middle English algorisme, augrym, from Anglo-Norman algorisme, augrim, from Medieval Latin algorismus, from Arabic الخَوَارِزْمِيّ (al-ḵawārizmiyy), the nisba of Persian mathematician Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī and a toponymic name meaning "the Chorasmian". The spelling change (-s- > -th-) was influenced by unrelated Ancient Greek ἀριθμός (arithmós) (whence English arithmo-).

Meanings

  1. (countable) A collection of ordered steps that solve a mathematical problem. A precise step-by-step plan for a computational procedure that possibly begins with an input value and yields an output value in a finite number of steps.
    • Informally, an algorithm is any well-defined computational procedure that takes some value, or set of values, as input and produces some value, or set of values, as output. An algorithm is thus a sequence of computational steps that transform the input into the output. 1990, Cormen, Leiserson, and Rivest, Introduction to Algorithms: page 1. Cambridge, MA, The MIT Press, 1999 (23rd printing)
    • Together, the Masons craft a new algorithm to make an end-run around Axe’s sabotage — or so they want him to believe. With the help of a surveillance photo procured by his dirty-deeds specialist Hall (Terry Kinney), Axe has a copy of the algo he spends a full day attempting to decipher before realizing it has a mistake. 2019 March 31, Sean T. Collins, “‘Billions’ Season 4, Episode 3: Hurts So Good”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Dec 2019:
    • Mark Zuckerberg: No, I need the algorithm you used to rank chess players. / Eduardo Saverin: Are you OK? / Mark Zuckerberg: We're ranking girls. 2010, Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network:
    • It’s a computer – an algorithm – and if you’ve been in Iran lately, they take you out of the system. 2018 June 25, Sam Jones, “Ex-Nato chief refused visa waiver to US because of Iran trips”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 20 Dec 2019:
    • The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives. And, as their ubiquity spreads, so too does the debate around whether we should allow ourselves to become so reliant on them – and who, if anyone, is policing their use. 2013 July 26, Leo Hickman, “How algorithms rule the world”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, archived from the original on 28 Apr 2021, page 26:
  2. (broadly, countable, uncountable) A flowchart illustrating a decision-making process for human users, especially health care professionals.
    • This retrospective observational analysis evaluated BP [blood pressure] control in an entirely remote management program before and during the pandemic. A team of pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physicians, and nonlicensed navigators used an evidence‐based clinical algorithm to optimize hypertensive treatment. The algorithm was adapted during the pandemic to simplify BP control. 2023, Lee SG, Blood AJ, Cannon CP, Gordon WJ, Nichols H, Zelle D, Scirica BM, Fisher NDL, “Remote cardiovascular hypertension program enhanced blood pressure control during the COVID-19 pandemic”, in J Am Heart Assoc, volume 12, number 6, →DOI, →PMID, page e027296:
  3. (obsolete, uncountable) Calculation with Arabic numerals; algorism.
  4. (countable, metonymically, qualifier:social media; usually preceded by definite article "the"; usually preceded by definite article "the", uncountable) recommender systems and the curation of feeds ▸ software that makes content display determinations on a platform, in totality of effect upon all end users (within a potential audience).
  5. (broadly, countable, informal, metonymically, of above, qualifier:social media, uncountable) recommender systems and the curation of feeds ▸ the influenced zeitgeist: e.g. what content ends up trending or viral, what persons become a main character or cancelled
    • Glover began his acceptance speech by saying, “First, I want to thank the great algorithm that put us all here.” 2018 February 26, Tad Friend, quoting Donald Glover, “Donald Glover Can’t Save You”, in The New Yorker:
  6. (countable, informal, metonymically, qualifier:social media; usually preceded by a possessive determiner; usually preceded by a possessive determiner, uncountable) recommender systems and the curation of feeds ▸ the actual personalized selections of content seen by specific user(s), the microtargeting to which they are subject
    • … you and I probably didn't run across that in our algorithm, but that doesn't mean that a lot of people aren't gonna run across garbage like that in their algorithms in the next couple weeks… 2024 October 23, Ben Rhodes, “Trump Blames Zelensky for War, Sucks Up to Saudis” (23:52 from the start), in Pod Save the World (podcast):

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
augrim alternative lexicographic
algorism alternative lexicographic
algorithms Number=Plur lexicographic

Coordinates

pseudoalgorithm

Deriveds

polyalgorithm · multialgorithm · superalgorithm · algocracy · autoalgorithm · subalgorithm · algorithmist · algorethics · algorithmocracy

Descendants

알고리즘 · アルゴリズム · অ্যালগরিদম · algoritme · 알고리듬 · algoritmo

Hyponyms

Las Vegas algorithm · Bellman-Ford algorithm · Davis-Putnam algorithm · Prim-Jarník algorithm · Bresenham's algorithm · Flajolet-Martin algorithm · Munkres assignment algorithm · Prim-Dijkstra algorithm · Knuth-Bendix completion algorithm · Viterbi algorithm · genetic algorithm · computer arithmetic algorithm · shunting-yard algorithm · parallel algorithm · Quine-McCluskey algorithm · Kosaraju's algorithm · DJP algorithm · Euclidean algorithm · compression algorithm · Nagle's algorithm · Fiduccia-Mattheyses algorithm · God's algorithm · Prim's algorithm · Hungarian algorithm · Luhn algorithm · Sattolo's algorithm · spigot algorithm · ziggurat algorithm · Ukkonen's algorithm · Euclid's algorithm · Toom-Cook algorithm · Boyer-Moore-Horspool algorithm · Metropolis-Hastings algorithm · memetic algorithm · Reingold-Tilford algorithm · Warnock algorithm · SMAWK algorithm · Cyrus–Beck algorithm · diamond-square algorithm · randomized algorithm · checksum algorithm · Gibbs algorithm · Knuth-Morris-Pratt algorithm · classification algorithm · Shor's algorithm · Warnock's algorithm · Cooley-Tukey algorithm · Girvan-Newman algorithm · Buchberger's algorithm · Cohen-Sutherland algorithm · Hopcroft's algorithm · Strassen algorithm · Gale-Shapley algorithm · Lesk algorithm · Kuhn-Munkres algorithm · divide and conquer algorithm · Kociemba's algorithm · Volder's algorithm · Borůvka's algorithm · Ramer-Douglas-Peucker algorithm · Gosper's algorithm · Remez algorithm · Pollard's rho algorithm · Peterson's algorithm · Baeza-Yates-Gonnet algorithm · Eppstein's algorithm · Tarjan's algorithm · Grover's algorithm · Chaitin's algorithm · hash algorithm · Thistlethwaite's algorithm · Rete algorithm · painter's algorithm · Kernighan-Lin algorithm · deterministic algorithm · Schensted algorithm · Douglas-Peucker algorithm · Bitap algorithm · Karatsuba algorithm · Kahan summation algorithm · Liang–Barsky algorithm · Jarník's algorithm · approximation algorithm · Suurballe's algorithm · Korf's algorithm · extended Euclidean algorithm · Day-Stout-Warren algorithm · Schönhage-Strassen algorithm · Dijkstra's algorithm · Rabin-Karp algorithm · wake-sleep algorithm · time algorithm · Kadane's algorithm · Gale–Church algorithm · doomsday algorithm · Kruskal's algorithm · Tarski-Kuratowski algorithm · forward-backward algorithm · Lanczos algorithm · Baeza-Yates–Gonnet algorithm · semi-algorithm · British Museum algorithm · Lee algorithm · Johnson's algorithm · Floyd-Warshall algorithm · sequential algorithm · greedy algorithm · distributed algorithm · Baum-Welch algorithm · Nicholl–Lee–Nicholl algorithm · Horspool's algorithm

Relateds

algorithmic · algorithmization · algorithmics · multialgorithm · flow chart · autoalgorithm · algebra · algorithmist · function · algocracy · subalgorithm · algorism · algorist · program · algorithmophobe · algorithmophile · algorithmize · data structure · algorithmically · algorithmocracy · polyalgorithm

Translations (84)

fa خوارزمی (well-defined procedure) · pt algoritmo (well-defined procedure) · ka ალგორითმი (well-defined procedure) · vi thuật toán (well-defined procedure) · sh algorìtam (well-defined procedure) · yi אַלגאָריטם (well-defined procedure) · ko 알고리듬 (well-defined procedure) · da algoritme (well-defined procedure) · hi अल्गोरिद्म (well-defined procedure) · lv algoritms (well-defined procedure) · bn অ্যালগরিদম (well-defined procedure) · fa الگوریتم (well-defined procedure) · lo ຂັ້ນຕອນວິທີ (well-defined procedure) · sk algoritmus (well-defined procedure) · is reiknirit (well-defined procedure) · ja 算法 (well-defined procedure) · mwl algoritmo (well-defined procedure) · ko 산법 (well-defined procedure) · mn алгоритм (well-defined procedure) · ja アルゴリズム (well-defined procedure) · cmn 演算法 (well-defined procedure) · sq algoritëm (well-defined procedure) · mi hātepe papatono (well-defined procedure) · lt algoritmas (well-defined procedure) · th อัลกอริทึม (well-defined procedure) · is algóriþmi (well-defined procedure) · mk алгори́там (well-defined procedure) · cs algoritmus (well-defined procedure) · ja 演算手順 (well-defined procedure) · sh алгорѝтам (well-defined procedure) · tr algoritma (well-defined procedure) · uz algoritm (well-defined procedure) · el αλγόριθμος (well-defined procedure) · uk алгори́тм (well-defined procedure) · br algoritm (well-defined procedure) · tk algoritm (well-defined procedure) · nb algoritme (well-defined procedure) · sv algoritm (well-defined procedure) · ky алгоритм (well-defined procedure) · ru алгори́тм (well-defined procedure) · bg алгори́тъм (well-defined procedure) · he אַלגוֹרִיתְם (well-defined procedure) · fi algoritmi (well-defined procedure) · gl algoritmo (well-defined procedure) · pl algorytm (well-defined procedure) · sco algorithm (well-defined procedure) · io algoritmo (well-defined procedure) · ia algorithmo (well-defined procedure) · de Algorithmus (well-defined procedure) · et algoritm (well-defined procedure) · arc ܚܘܪܙܐ (well-defined procedure) · hu algoritmus (well-defined procedure) · an algorismo (well-defined procedure) · nl algoritme (well-defined procedure) · ota خوارزمیَّه (well-defined procedure) · id algoritme (well-defined procedure) · tl algorítmo (well-defined procedure) · es algoritmo (well-defined procedure) · ms alkhwarizmi (well-defined procedure) · be алгары́тм (well-defined procedure) · is reiknisögn (well-defined procedure) · is algrím (well-defined procedure) · ast algoritmu (well-defined procedure) · ms algoritma (well-defined procedure) · oc algoritme (well-defined procedure) · it algoritmo (well-defined procedure) · tg алгоритм (well-defined procedure) · az alqoritm (well-defined procedure) · th ขั้นตอนวิธี (well-defined procedure) · fr algorithme (well-defined procedure) · af algoritme (well-defined procedure) · eo algoritmo (well-defined procedure) · be альгары́тм (well-defined procedure) · cmn 算法 (well-defined procedure) · ro algoritm (well-defined procedure) · la algorithmus (well-defined procedure) · kk алгоритм (well-defined procedure) · ko 알고리즘 (well-defined procedure) · sl algoritem (well-defined procedure) · ca algorisme (well-defined procedure) · ar خَوَارِزْمِيَّة (well-defined procedure) · hy ալգորիթմ (well-defined procedure) · br treol (well-defined procedure) · mi hātepe (well-defined procedure)

wikipedia: Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī · wikipedia: NPR · wikipedia: Addison-Wesley