noun
algorithm
A defined sequence of steps for solving a problem or completing a calculation.
Where it comes from
Algorithm ordinarily means a defined sequence of steps for solving a problem or completing a calculation. Algorithm grew from algorism, a medieval word for calculating with Hindu-Arabic numerals. Algorism came from the Latinized name of the ninth-century Persian mathematician al-Khwarizmi. The spelling was later influenced by Greek arithmos, number.
How the meaning developed
Its meaning broadened from a numeral system to a defined procedure for solving a problem.
Sources
Definitions adapted from Open English WordNet where applicable. License and attribution. Word-history text comes from Lexifour’s sourced social research; pages are assembled automatically, not individually fact-checked on every update.
Updated 2026-10-05. Report a correction.