Where does “fractal” come from?

Fractal comes from French fractal, from Latin fractus (broken), the past participle of frangere (to break), combined with the Latin suffix -alis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰreg- (to break).

fractal (English): A mathematical set that has a non-integer and...

Definitions

  1. A mathematical set that has a non-integer and...

Ancestry of “fractal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchfractalfractal; Synonym of fractale
2Latinfractusbroken, shattered, having been broken;...
3Latinfrangeresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
4Latinfrangōto break, shatter
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrēǵ-to shine, shimmer

Words derived from “fractal”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →