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Glite Dictionary
algorism

algorism

1 9.9
A system for doing arithmetic using the digits 0 to 9 instead of Roman numerals
  • noun
  • /ˈælɡərɪzəm/
  • Archaic
: algoritmo
  • Many schools now teach algorism to help students perform arithmetic operations more efficiently.

Examples

  • Understanding algorism is essential for grasping basic mathematical concepts in modern education.

  • Unlike early Arabic loans that were mostly of a technical and scientific nature (algorism, algebra, cipher, for example), many recent borrowings into English belong to the politics and culture of that region (Ba'ath, Taliban, fedayeen, for example).

    Academic text (2006)

  • The introduction of algorism revolutionized mathematics by allowing calculations with Arabic numerals instead of Roman numerals.

Synonyms

numeration
vsalgorism
1 6.3

A way of counting and naming numbers

is a specific notation method using Arabic numerals not just the act of counting
numeration system
vsalgorism
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A way to write or show amounts using symbols like digits

is a specific method that uses Arabic numerals rather than any notation

Surface Forms

algorism singular
algorisms plural

Morphology

algorism = algor + ism

Although the suffix '-ism' is recognizable, the root 'algor' is a borrowed combining form (from a proper name) not a productive English base, so learners cannot derive the meaning from its parts.

Etymology

The word algorism comes from the name Al-Khwārizmī, a Persian scholar who wrote about the new 'Arabic numerals', the numbers 0–9, and over time his name came to mean the method of calculating with those numbers. It shares the same root as algorithm, so algorism means the system of using 'Arabic numerals' for counting and arithmetic.