algebra
/ˈældʒɪbrə/·알지브라·noun
a branch of mathematics using letters for unknowns
ArabicCEFR B1
Root
Arabic 'al-jabr' (the reunion of broken parts)
Arabic al-jabr (in the title of al-Khwārizmī’s 9th-century book) → Medieval Latin algebra → English algebra
In a word
From the 9th-century Persian scholar al-Khwārizmī's book al-jabr wa'l-muqābala. The phrase al-jabr meant "the reunion of broken parts" — moving terms across an equation to restore balance. A whole discipline still wears the title of one book.
Examples
Many students find algebra difficult at first.
She helps her son with algebra.
Algebra is used in everyday engineering.
Related
algebraicalgorithm