linear

See also: LINEAR, Linear, and lineär

English

Etymology

From Latin līneāris, from līnea (“line”) + -āris (adjectival suffix), equivalent to line +‎ -ar. Doublet of lineal.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪn.i.ɚ/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪn.i.ə/

Adjective

polynomial degrees

Previous:	constant
Next:	quadratic

linear (comparative more linear, superlative most linear)

1. Having the form of a line; straight or roughly straight; following a direct course.
   • 2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 4:

     The route taken does not have to be a perfectly straight line, just so long as it is linear and is followed consistently for each transect taken.

2. Of or relating to lines.
3. Made, or designed to be used, in a step-by-step, sequential manner.

   a linear medium

4. (botany, of leaves) Long and narrow, with nearly parallel sides.
5. (mathematics) (of polynomials or polynomial equations)
   1. (of a polynomial) Having degree one; that is, being of the form $a_{1}x_{1}+a_{2}x_{2}+\cdots +a_{n}x_{n}+b$, where each $x_{i}$ is a variable. See also Linear polynomials on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

      $4x+5y+{\frac {1}{2}}z$ is a linear polynomial, but $4xy+{\frac {1}{2}}z$ and $4x+z^{2}$ are not.

   2. (of a polynomial equation) Involving only linear polynomials. See also Linear equation on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

      The graph of the linear equation $y=ax+b$ is a straight line with slope $a$ and y-intercept $b$

6. (mathematics) (of functions or maps)
   1. (of a function between vector spaces) An additive, homogeneous mapping; that is, a function $f:V\to W$ is linear if it distributes over vector addition ($f(\mathbf {v} +\mathbf {w} )=f(\mathbf {v} )+f(\mathbf {w} )$) and respects scalar multiplication ($f(c\mathbf {v} )=cf(\mathbf {v} )$). If $V$ and $W$ are vector spaces over a field $K$, $f$ may also be called a $K$-linear map. See also linear map on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

      The map $f:\mathbb {R} ^{3}\to \mathbb {R} ^{2}$ taking $(x,y,z)\mapsto (x+y+z,x-y+3z)$ is a linear map.

   2. (of a function over a module) A module homomorphism; that is, a group homomorphism that commutes with scalar multiplication. See also Module homomorphism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
7. (physics) A type of length measurement involving only one spatial dimension (as opposed to area or volume).

   a linear meter

Synonyms

• linelike

Antonyms

• nonlinear

Coordinate terms

• (pertaining to length): areal, spacial, spatial
• (one-dimensional unit): cubic, square

Derived terms

• antilinear
• basolinear
• bilinear
• circumlinear
• colinear
• collinear
• crosslinear
• curvilinear
• general linear group
• hyperlinear
• interlineal
• interlinear
• isolinear
• lineal
• linear algebra
• linear algebraic
• linear algebraic group
• linear channel
• linear combination
• linear congruential generator
• linear density
• linear dependence
• linear equation
• linear foot
• linear form
• linear function
• linear functional
• linear group
• linear independence
• linearise
• linearism
• linearithmic
• linearity
• linearization
• linearize
• linear logic
• linearly
• linear map
• linear meter, linear metre
• linear motor
• linearoid
• linear operator
• linear order
• linear pair
• linear park
• linear perspective
• linear programming
• linear regression
• linear relative
• linear space
• linear span
• linear subspace
• linear sum
• linear system
• linear television
• linear time
• linear time-invariant
• linear time-varying
• linear transformation
• linear triplet
• lineartuberculate
• linear TV
• log-linear
• matrilinear
• monolinear
• multilinear
• non-linear
• non-linear text
• numerical linear algebra
• ortholinear
• paralinear
• patrilinear
• piecewise-linear
• piecewise linear
• plurilinear
• polylinear
• positive linear functional
• pseudolinear
• quadrilinear
• quasilinear
• rectified linear unit
• semilinear
• sesquilinear
• special linear group
• spherical linear interpolation
• sublinear
• superlinear
• supralinear
• translinear
• trilinear
• ultralinear
• unilinear
• vertilinear

 

Translations

having the form of a line

• Afrikaans: lineêr
• Belarusian: ліне́йны (linjéjny)
• Bulgarian: линеен (lineen)
• Catalan: lineal (ca), linear (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 线性 (zh) (xianxing)

• Danish: lige (da), lineær
• Dutch: lineair (nl)
• Faroese: linjurættur
• Finnish: suoraviivainen (fi)
• French: linéaire (fr)
• Galician: lineal (gl), linear
• German: linear (de)
• Greek: γραμμικός (el) (grammikós)

  Ancient: γραμμικός (grammikós)

• Hungarian: vonalas (hu)
• Icelandic: línulegur
• Indonesian: linear (id), linier (id)
• Italian: lineare (it)
• Latin: linearis
• Norwegian: lineær
• Polish: linearny (pl), liniowy (pl)
• Portuguese: linear (pt)
• Russian: лине́йный (ru) (linéjnyj)
• Spanish: lineal (es)
• Swedish: linjär (sv)
• Turkish: doğrusal (tr), lineer (tr)
• Ukrainian: ліні́йний (liníjnyj)

of or relating to lines

• Finnish: suoraviivainen (fi)
• Latin: linearis
• Malay: garis (ms), garisan (ms), kegarisan, kegarisanan, linear
• Polish: linearny (pl), liniowy (pl)
• Spanish: lineal (es)

made in a step-by-step manner

• Finnish: suoraviivainen (fi), johdonmukainen (fi)
• Russian: после́довательный (ru) (poslédovatelʹnyj)

botany, of leaves: long and narrow

• Finnish: tasasoukka (fi)
• Spanish: lineal (es)

in mathematics, of first-degree polynomial

• Afrikaans: lineêr
• Bulgarian: линеен (lineen)
• Czech: lineární (cs)
• Danish: lineær
• Finnish: lineaarinen (fi)
• French: linéaire (fr)
• German: linear (de)
• Greek: γραμμικός (el) (grammikós)
• Italian: lineare (it)
• Norwegian: lineær
• Polish: linearny (pl), liniowy (pl)
• Portuguese: linear (pt)
• Russian: лине́йный (ru) (linéjnyj)
• Spanish: lineal (es)
• Swedish: linjär (sv), lineär (sv)

physics: involving only one dimension

• Afrikaans: lineêr
• Finnish: lineaarinen (fi)
• German: linear (de)
• Polish: linearny (pl), liniowy (pl)
• Russian: линейный (ru) (linejnyj), одномерный (ru) (odnomernyj)
• Spanish: unidimensional (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: (1,2) ^{(please verify)} linéaire (fr)
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} リニア (ja) (rinia), ^{(please verify)} リンネル (ja) (rinneru), ^{(please verify)} 線形 (ja) (senkei 1,2), ^{(please verify)} 一次 (ja) (ichiji 2,3)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 선형 (ko) (seonhyeong) (1,2), ^{(please verify)} 일차 (ko) (ilcha) (2,3)

Noun

linear (plural linears)

1. (radio slang) Ellipsis of linear amplifier.

References

• linear on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “linear”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “linear”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Arline, Erlian, Irelan, Lanier, aliner, enrail, lanier, larine, nailer, renail

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin līneāris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [li.neˈar]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [li.neˈa]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [li.neˈaɾ]

Adjective

linear m or f (masculine and feminine plural linears)

1. linear

   Synonym: lineal

Related terms

• línia

Further reading

• “linear” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “linear”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “linear” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “linear” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Indonesian

Etymology

Internationalism, borrowed from Dutch lineair (“linear”), from French linéaire, from Latin līneāris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /liˈnɛar/
• Rhymes: -ar, -r
• Hyphenation: li‧nè‧ar

Adjective

linèar

1. alternative spelling of linièr (“linear”)

Further reading

• “linear” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin līneāris.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /li.neˈaʁ/ [li.neˈah]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /li.neˈaʁ/ [li.neˈah]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /li.neˈaɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /li.neˈaʁ/ [li.neˈaχ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /li.neˈaɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /liˈnjaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /liˈnjaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /liˈnja.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: li‧ne‧ar

Adjective

linear m or f (plural lineares)

1. linear (having the form of a straight line)
2. (mathematics) linear (being a first-degree polynomial)
3. linear (made in a step-by-step, logical manner)

Related terms

• linha

Further reading

• “linear”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2024

Romanian

Adjective

linear m or n (feminine singular lineară, masculine plural lineari, feminine and neuter plural lineare)

1. Alternative form of liniar

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	linear		lineară		lineari	lineare
	definite	linearul		lineara		linearii	linearele
genitive- dative	indefinite	linear		lineare		lineari	lineare
	definite	linearului		linearei		linearilor	linearelor

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lineˈaɾ/ [li.neˈaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: li‧ne‧ar

Etymology 1

From Latin lineāris.

Adjective

linear m or f (masculine and feminine plural lineares)

1. (botany) linear

Derived terms

• perspectiva linear

 

Etymology 2

From Latin lineāre.

Verb

linear (first-person singular present lineo, first-person singular preterite lineé, past participle lineado)

1. to line
2. to outline, mark out

Conjugation

    Conjugation of linear (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			linear
gerund			lineando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		lineado		lineada
		plural		lineados		lineadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	lineo	lineastú lineásvos	linea	lineamos	lineáis	linean
	imperfect	lineaba	lineabas	lineaba	lineábamos	lineabais	lineaban
	preterite	lineé	lineaste	lineó	lineamos	lineasteis	linearon
	future	linearé	linearás	lineará	linearemos	linearéis	linearán
	conditional	linearía	linearías	linearía	linearíamos	linearíais	linearían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	linee	lineestú lineésvos2	linee	lineemos	lineéis	lineen
	imperfect (ra)	lineara	linearas	lineara	lineáramos	linearais	linearan
	imperfect (se)	linease	lineases	linease	lineásemos	lineaseis	lineasen
	future1	lineare	lineares	lineare	lineáremos	lineareis	linearen
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		lineatú lineávos	linee	lineemos	linead	lineen
	negative		no linees	no linee	no lineemos	no lineéis	no lineen

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

Derived terms

• lineamiento

 

Further reading

• “linear”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10