linear

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linear

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɪn.i.əɹ/, (Indic) /ˈliːnija(ɾ)/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

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 ${\displaystyle a_{1}x_{1}+a_{2}x_{2}+\cdots +a_{n}x_{n}+b}$, where each ${\displaystyle x_{i}}$ is a variable. See also Linear polynomials on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

8. (Discuss⁽⁺⁾ this sense) (media, of video and audio) Delivered or delivering on a fixed schedule, as opposed to on-demand.

   Synonyms: broadcast, tune-in

   Antonyms: streaming, on-demand, non-linear

   linear TV, linear content, linear video, linear radio

   Linear television is dead or, at least, declining.

   Linear television includes traditional over-the-air broadcasting, as well as much cable and satellite broadcasting.

   • 2004, Wolfgang Hoeg, Thomas Lauterbach, editors, Digital Audio Broadcasting: Principles and Applications of Digital Radio, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 186:

     Linear radio relates to our well-known tune-in radio, where the listener depends on the programmers schedule. In non-linear radio applications, the listener is able to choose previously broadcast audio pieces, which are held in local storage of the receiver (“mailbox”).

• linelike

• nonlinear

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

linear (plural linears)

1. (radio slang) Ellipsis of linear amplifier.

• linear on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “linear”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E Smith, editors (1911), “linear”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

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

Borrowed from Latin līneāris.

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencia)

linear m or f (masculine and feminine plural linears)

1. linear

   Synonym: lineal

• línia

• “linear”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies , 2007 April
• “linear”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “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.

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

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

linèar (comparative lebih linear, superlative paling linear)

1. alternative spelling of linièr (“linear”)

• “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.

Learned borrowing from Latin līneāris.

• Hyphenation: li‧ne‧ar

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)

• linha

• “linear”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

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

1. alternative form of liniar

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

From Latin lineāris.

linear m or f (masculine and feminine plural lineares)

1. (botany) linear

From Latin lineāre.

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

1. to line
2. to outline, mark out

• “linear”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy , 2024 December 10