integral

UK/ˈɪntɪɡr(ə)l/US/ˈɪntəɡɹəl/

adjectiveC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #9,449 of 15,258mostly written

Integral means forming an essential part of the whole. An integral part, integral to the plan, integral design.

It takes to, and the point is that the thing cannot be removed without changing what is left. In mathematics an integral is a quite different thing: the area under a curve, and the word is stressed on the first syllable there.

Definitions of integral

1adjectiveintegralForming an essential part of the whole.C1
“Music is an integral part of the school day at this academy.”

integral is a quality.

Where it comes from

Latin integralis comes from integer, whole or untouched — in, not, plus tangere, to touch.

Latin
integer — entire
Medieval Latin
integrālis
Middle French
integral
English, today
integral

Middle French integral, from Medieval Latin integrālis, from Latin integer (“entire”); see integer.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

integral in the wild

Some sources, notably Lang, use the term entire ring for integral domain.
Integral domain
In a surface integral, the curve is replaced by a piece of a surface in three-dimensional space.
Integral
In real analysis, the Riemann integral is a rigorous definition of the integral of a function on an interval.
Riemann integral
An integral operator is an operator that involves integration.
Integral operator
In mathematics, a line integral is an integral where the function to be integrated is evaluated along a curve.
Line integral

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the integer family

entire

integral — used about once every 4,601 pages · #9,449 · point at the bar for the others

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