Quadratic Function - Origin of Word

Origin of Word

The adjective quadratic comes from the Latin word quadrātum (“square”). A term like x2 is called a square in algebra because it is the area of a square with side x.

In general, a prefix quadr(i)- indicates the number 4. Examples are quadrilateral and quadrant. Quadratum is the Latin word for square because a square has four sides.

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