algebra

Etymology

Recorded in English from the mid-16th century,^[1][2] borrowed from Medieval Latin algebra,^[1][3] or via Italian algebra,^[4] from Arabic الْجَبْر (al-jabr, “the reunion of broken parts”),^[4][3] from jabara “to reunite, restore”.^[4][2]

The term comes from the title of al-Khwarizmi's 9th-century treatise on equations, al-Kitāb al-muḵtaṣar fī ḥisāb al-jabr wa-l-muqābala.^[2][3] The same word was used in Middle English and Medieval Latin for “bone-setting”, the surgical treatment of fractures.^[5][2][4]

References

1. [1] [2] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
2. [1] [2] [3] [4] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. [1] [2] [3] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
4. [1] [2] [3] [4] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. [1] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Boston: Houghton Mifflin