algorithme (French)
Where does "algorithme" come from?
The word originated from the name of the 9th-century mathematician al-Khwarizmi, which was Latinized as 'algorismus' to describe his system of calculation. Over time, the French term was reshaped by the influence of the Ancient Greek word 'arithmos', meaning number, shifting the spelling toward 'algorithme.' This journey from a Persian geographical name through Arabic and Medieval Latin eventually gave us the modern term for procedural logic.
Full etymology tree
- algorithme (French), 'algorithm'
- inherited algorismus (Latin), 'algorithm'
- borrowed الخوارزمي (al-Khwārizmiyy) (Arabic), 'definite masculine singular of خَوَارِزْمِيّ (ḵawārizmiyy)'
- derived خوارزم (Khwārizm) (Arabic), 'Chorasmia, Khwarazm (a large oasis geographical region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia; currently split politically between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan)'
- borrowed خوارزم (Khwārazm) (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)'
- inherited 𐎢𐎺𐎠direct-𐎼𐏀𐎷𐎡𐏁 (Uvārazmīš) (Old Persian)
- borrowed خوارزم (Khwārazm) (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)'
- derived خوارزم (Khwārizm) (Arabic), 'Chorasmia, Khwarazm (a large oasis geographical region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia; currently split politically between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan)'
- borrowed الخوارزمي (al-Khwārizmiyy) (Arabic), 'definite masculine singular of خَوَارِزْمِيّ (ḵawārizmiyy)'
- semantic loan ἀριθμός (arithmós) (Ancient Greek), 'number'
- inherited *h₂ri-dʰh₁-mó-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *h₂rey- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to count, count out'
- derived *h₂reh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to think, reason'
- derived *h₂er- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot'
- derived *h₂reh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to think, reason'
- derived *h₂rey- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to count, count out'
- inherited *h₂ri-dʰh₁-mó-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited algorismus (Latin), 'algorithm'
Ancestors
- algorismus (Latin)
- ἀριθμός (Ancient Greek)
Descendants and derived words
- algoritmo (Esperanto)
- αλγόριθμος (Greek)
- الگوریتم (Persian)
- algorytm (Polish)
- algoritm (Romanian)
- algoritma (Turkish)
Updated May 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris