Etymologically
Log in

integral

Etymology and origin of the English word integral

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1471
Borrowed from
Latin integralis
Ultimate origin
Medieval Latin (integralis)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɪn.tɪ.ɡrəl/, /ɪnˈteɡ.rəl/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin integrālis (“forming a whole”), probably through Middle French intégral,[2][3][4] from Latin integer, untouched, whole (see integer).[2][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Necessary to make something complete, implied in the adverb integrallie: 1471;[2] of or pertaining to a whole, the late 15th century in Etymonline;[3] 1551 in the OED and Merriam-Webster.[6][4]

Semantic evolution

Made up of parts that form a unity is from 1588,[6] and whole, with nothing lacking, from 1611.[6] In mathematics, relating to integers, not fractional, is first recorded in 1658.[2] The noun, a whole or something undivided, is from 1620,[2][4] and in calculus an integral is the result of integration.[7][8] The NODE compares integrate and integrity.[5]

Timeline

  • 1471 – integrallie.[2]
  • 1551 – belonging to a whole.[6][4]
  • 1611 – entire.[6]
  • 1620 – a whole (noun).[2]
  • 1658 – relating to integers.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Essential to make a whole complete: an integral part.
  2. Whole; complete.
  3. (mathematics) Of integers, or of an integral.

Noun

  1. (mathematics) The result of integration of a function.

Word family

Usage notes

The Cambridge pronouncing dictionary notes that as a mathematical term the word is stressed on the first syllable.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Integral.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/integral. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·