algebra (English)

Where does "algebra" come from?

The word 'algebra' traces back to the Arabic term 'al-jabr', which originally referred to the surgical resetting of broken bones. This term was later used in the title of a famous ninth century mathematical text to describe the process of reuniting broken parts of an equation. Eventually, this concept of restoration and balancing passed through Medieval Latin into English, where its meaning expanded from surgical bonesetting into the sophisticated mathematical discipline we recognize today.

Full etymology tree

• algebra (English), 'Elementary algebra: A system for representing and manipulating unknown quantities (variables) in equations.'
  • borrowed algebra (Latin), 'algebra'
    • borrowed الْجَبْر (al-jabr) (Arabic)

Direct ancestors

• algebra (Latin)

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris