Al-jabr described restoration or recombination. It appeared in al-Khwarizmi’s treatise on solving equations, then travelled into Medieval Latin and English. What sounds like an abstract school subject began as a rather tangible act of putting things right.
Sources
- Merriam-Webster · algebra
Dictionary word history; the component and historical references below supply additional detail.
- Online Etymology Dictionary · algebra
Historical forms, meanings, and context for the route described here.