Origin story
From al-Khwarizmi, the Latinized name of a Persian mathematician whose work shaped algebra and computation vocabulary.
Why it sticks
A person became a process, then a word for rules machines follow.
Science & Math
A person became a process, then a word for rules machines follow.
From al-Khwarizmi, the Latinized name of a Persian mathematician whose work shaped algebra and computation vocabulary.
A person became a process, then a word for rules machines follow.
A short etymology card for algorithm: origin, meaning history, memorable hook, and source-language context.
Use this page as a public web reference, not an official agency record. The linked official source remains the final authority.
Word Origin Atlas. "Algorithm Origin and Meaning | Word Origin Atlas". https://www.wordoriginatlas.com/words/algorithm/. Reviewed Jul 2026.
Source and citation notes