fractal

== English == === Etymology === From French fractal, from Latin fractus (“broken”), perfect passive participle of frangō (“break, fragment”). === Pronunciation === (UK, US) IPA(key): /ˈfɹæk.təl/ Rhymes: -æktəl === Noun === fractal (plural fractals) (mathematics) A mathematical set that has a non-integer and constant Hausdorff dimension, corresponding to a geometric figure or object that is self-similar at arbitrarily small scales and thus has infinite complexity. (by extension) An object, system, or idea that exhibits a fractal-like property, such as the property of self-similarity at numerous but not infinitely many scales. ==== Hyponyms ==== See also Thesaurus:fractal ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Adjective === fractal (not comparable) (mathematics) Having the form of a fractal; having to do with fractals. (by extension, sometimes figurative) Exhibiting a fractal-like property. ==== Derived terms ==== fractal antenna fractal dimension fractal flame fractal response time ==== Translations ==== === Derived terms === === See also === fractal on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Mandelbrot set Julia set === Anagrams === flatcar == Catalan == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Central, Balearic) [fɾəkˈtal] IPA(key): (Valencia) [fɾakˈtal] Rhymes: -al === Noun === fractal f (plural fractals) fractal === Adjective === fractal m or f (masculine and feminine plural fractals) fractal == French == === Etymology === Coined by Benoît Mandelbrot in 1975, from Latin fractus +‎ -al. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fʁak.tal/ === Adjective === fractal (feminine fractale, masculine plural fractals or fractaux, feminine plural fractales) fractal === Noun === fractal m (plural fractals or fractaux) (rare) synonym of fractale == Portuguese == === Alternative forms === fratal (Portugal, nonstandard) === Pronunciation === Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw Hyphenation: frac‧tal === Noun === fractal m (plural fractais) (mathematics) fractal (self-similar geometric figure) === Further reading === “fractal”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “fractal”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fɾaɡˈtal/ [fɾaɣ̞ˈt̪al] Rhymes: -al Syllabification: frac‧tal === Noun === fractal m (plural fractales) fractal === Adjective === fractal m or f (masculine and feminine plural fractales) fractal === Further reading === “fractal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025