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algorithm

Etymology and origin of the English word algorithm

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1699
Borrowed from
French algorithme
Ultimate origin
Arabic (الخوارزمي)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈælɡəɹɪðm̩/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French algorithme, refashioned under a mistaken connection with Greek ἀριθμός (arithmós, “number”) (see arithmetic),[2][3][4] from Old French algorisme, the Arabic numeral system,[2] from Medieval Latin algorismus,[2][4] a mangled transliteration of Arabic الخوارزمي (al-Khwārizmī, “native of Khwarazm”), the surname of the 9th-century mathematician whose works introduced advanced mathematics to the West (see algebra).[2] It is also an English alteration of the earlier algorism.[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Arabic system of computation, the decimal notation of numbers: 1699, the 1690s in Etymonline.[3][6][2]

Semantic evolution

A procedure or set of rules for calculation or problem-solving is from the early 19th century in the SOED,[7] and in mathematics, a process expressed in algebraic notation, from 1938.[6] From the mid-20th century it is used especially in computing.[2][7] In medicine, a step-by-step procedure for a clinical decision is from 1968.[6]

Timeline

  • 13th century – algorisme (Old French).[2]
  • 1699 – Arabic computation.[3]
  • early 19th century – a set of rules.[7]
  • 1938 – a mathematical algorithm.[6]
  • 1968 – a clinical algorithm.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A step-by-step procedure or set of rules for solving a problem or carrying out a calculation, especially by a computer.
  2. (mathematics) A recursive procedure for generating a sequence of terms.

Word family

  • algorithmic
  • algorithmically

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Algorithm.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/algorithm. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·