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discriminant

1 8.4

A number calculated from a polynomial that shows whether its solutions are real, repeated, or complex

noun
/dɪsˈkrɪmɪnənt/

Specialized

: discriminante

To find out how many solutions a quadratic has, you must calculate the discriminant.

Examples

Since the discriminant is zero, there should be one real solution to this equation.
And what the discriminant is, is basically a way for us to describe what type of solutions our quadratic has.
OK, so I just want to write down the discriminant of this of this polynomial.
The discriminant of a polynomial helps identify whether the solutions are real or complex.

Surface Forms

discriminant singular

discriminants plural

Morphology

discriminant = discriminate (semi-transparent) = discriminate + ant

Formed from 'discriminate' + '-ant', but the mathematical meaning is a specialized technical sense that a B1 learner would not reliably infer from the verb alone.

Etymology

Discriminant comes from the verb discriminate, which means 'to tell apart' or 'separate'. So in algebra a discriminant is a number that 'tells apart' what kind of solutions an equation has, like real, complex, or repeated.