imaginary number
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imaginary number
Where it comes from
The adjective imaginary in this context was first used (as French imaginaire) by René Descartes in 1673, La Geometrie, referring to imaginary numbers in the broad sense, as non-real roots of polynomials. Descartes' usage was derogatory, but the concept later gained acceptance through the work of Leonhard Euler and Carl Friedrich Gauss in the 18th century.
noun imaginary numbers
-
A number of the form bi, where b is any real number and i denotes the imaginary unit.
If a#61;0, then x#61;ib is called an imaginary number. The message here is that we must introduce imaginary numbers in order to be able to solve quadratic equations in general.
Similar: purely imaginary number
- A number of the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and b is nonzero.
Translations
Every language
noun number of the form a + bi, with b ≠ 0
| 中文 | 虛數 /虚数 xūshù |
|---|---|
| Français | nombre imaginaire |
noun number of the form bi
| Español | número imaginario |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 허수 heosu |
| 日本語 | 虚数 kyosū |
| 中文 | 虛數 /虚数 xūshù, 純虛數 /纯虚数 chúnxūshù |
| Português | número imaginário, número puramente imaginário |
| Français | nombre imaginaire pur |
| Deutsch | rein imaginäre Zahl, imaginäre Zahl |
| Ελληνικά | φανταστικός αριθμός fantastikós arithmós |
| Русский | мни́мое число́ mnímoje čisló |
| Tiếng Việt | số ảo, số thuần ảo |
| עברית | מספר מרוכב |
Talk about this word "imaginary number." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/imaginary%20number. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. imaginary number. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/imaginary%20number "imaginary number." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/imaginary%20number.Cite this
@misc{imaginary_number_2026,
title = {imaginary number},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/imaginary%20number},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
