linear

See also: Linear, LINEAR, and lineär

English

Etymology

From Latin līneāris, from līnea (“line”) + -āris (adjectival suffix). 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:10.1080/01434632.2019.1596115, 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 or relating to a class of polynomial of the form $y=ax+b$.
6. (physics) A type of length measurement involving only one spatial dimension (as opposed to area or volume).

   a linear meter

Antonyms

• nonlinear

Coordinate terms

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

Derived terms

• curvilinear
• interlineal
• interlinear
• lineal
• supralinear

 

Related terms

• linear algebra
• linear foot
• linear meter, linear metre

 

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)
• Finnish: suoraviivainen (fi)
• French: linéaire (fr)
• Galician: lineal (gl), linear
• German: linear (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: γραμμικός (grammikós)

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

of or relating to lines

• Finnish: suoraviivainen (fi)
• Latin: linearis
• Malay: garis, garisan (ms), kegarisan, kegarisanan, linear

• Polish: liniowy (pl)
• Spanish: lineal

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

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: liniowy (pl)
• Portuguese: linear (pt)
• Russian: лине́йный (ru) (linéjnyj)
• Spanish: lineal
• Swedish: linjär (sv), lineär (sv)

physics: involving only one dimension

• Afrikaans: lineêr
• Finnish: lineaarinen (fi)
• German: linear (de)

• Polish: 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, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

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

• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 선형 (ko) (seonhyeong) (1,2), ^{(please verify)} 일차 (ko) (ilcha) (2,3)

Noun

(radio slang, noun) A linear amplifier.

Anagrams

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

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Catalan

Etymology

From Latin līneāris.

Adjective

linear (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, 2022
• “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.

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin līneāris.

Pronunciation

 

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

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

• IPA^(key): (Portugal) /li.nɨˈaɾ/, [li.nɨˈaɾ]

• Hyphenation: li‧ne‧ar

Adjective

linear m or f (plural lineares, comparable)

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.

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Romanian

Adjective

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

1. Alternative form of liniar

Declension

Declension of linear

		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

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lineˈaɾ/, [li.neˈaɾ]

Etymology 1

From Latin lineāris.

Adjective

linear (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, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014