algorithm (English)
Where does "algorithm" come from?
The word 'algorithm' traces back to the Arabic name 'al-ḵawārizmiyy', which was formed from the toponym meaning a person from Chorasmia and referred to the famous Persian mathematician Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī[1]. This term passed into Medieval Latin as 'algorismus'[1], moved through Anglo-Norman and Middle English as 'algorisme'[1], and eventually yielded the English noun 'algorism'[1]. Later, the spelling of the word was altered under the influence of the unrelated Ancient Greek term 'arithmós'[1], resulting in modern English 'algorithm'.
Full etymology tree
- algorithm (English), '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.'
- derived algorism (English), 'Obsolete spelling of algorithm (all senses).'
- inherited algorisme (Middle English), 'alternative form of augrym'
- inherited algorisme (Old French), 'algorithm'
- inherited algorismus (Latin), 'algorithm'
- borrowed الخوارزمي (al-khawārizmiyy) (Arabic), 'definite masculine singular of خَوَارِزْمِيّ (ḵawārizmiyy)'
- affix ال (al-) (Arabic), 'the'
- contraction خْوَارَزْم (xwārazm) (Classical Persian)
- inherited 𐎢𐎺𐎠𐎼𐏀𐎷𐎡𐏁 (u-v-a-r-z-mi-i-š) (Old Persian), 'Chorasmia, Khwarazm (a large oasis geographical region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia; currently split politically between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan)'
- affix ـِيّ (-iyy) (Arabic)
- borrowed الخوارزمي (al-khawārizmiyy) (Arabic), 'definite masculine singular of خَوَارِزْمِيّ (ḵawārizmiyy)'
- inherited algorismus (Latin), 'algorithm'
- inherited algorisme (Old French), 'algorithm'
- inherited algorisme (Middle English), 'alternative form of augrym'
- influenced by ἀριθμός (arithmós) (Ancient Greek), 'number'
- derived algorism (English), 'Obsolete spelling of algorithm (all senses).'
Ancestors
- algorisme (Middle English)
- algorismus (Latin)
Descendants and derived words
- অ্যালগরিদম (Bengali)
- algoritme (Danish)
- algocracy (English)
- algorithmist (English)
- algorithmocracy (English)
- autoalgorithm (English)
- multialgorithm (English)
- multialgorithm (English)
- polyalgorithm (English)
- subalgorithm (English)
- アルゴリズム (Japanese)
- 알고리듬 (Korean)
Sources
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris