fractal
Pronunciation: /ˈfrakt(ə)l/
Mathematics
Definition of fractal
noun
- a curve or geometrical figure, each part of which has the same statistical character as the whole. They are useful in modelling structures (such as snowflakes) in which similar patterns recur at progressively smaller scales, and in describing partly random or chaotic phenomena such as crystal growth and galaxy formation.
adjective
Origin:
1970s: from French, from Latin fract- 'broken', from the verb frangere