binomial
n. countablen. a mathematical expression that has exactly two terms. You usually see these in algebra when you are learning about equations and how to solve them.
n. an algebraic expression consisting of two terms connected by a plus or minus sign. In statistics, it refers to a distribution that describes the number of successes in a fixed number of independent trials.
The expression x + 3 is a binomial.
In algebra, students learn to multiply two binomials using the FOIL method to expand the equation.
The binomial theorem provides a systematic way to expand any power of a binomial, which is essential for calculating probabilities in a series of independent events.
Formed from Late Latin binōmium + -al. The derivation of binōmium is unclear. It was used by Gerard of Cremona in the 12th century. Suggested sources are the Latin nōmen (“name”), the Ancient Greek νομός (nomós, “distribution, pasture”), or the Old French nom (“name”). Gérard de Crémone used the word in his translation of aν Arabic commentary on Euclid, corresponding to the Greek "ἐκ δύο ὀνομάτων". Compare binomy and binominal, as well as the French binôme. By surface analysis, bi- + -nomial.