different between fractal vs frail

English

Etymology

From French fractal, from Latin fractus (“broken”), perfect passive participle of frang? (“break, fragment”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?f?æk.t?l/

Noun

fractal (plural fractals)

1. (mathematics) A mathematical set that has a non-integer and constant Hausdorff dimension; a geometric figure that is self-similar at all scales.
2. (figuratively) An object, system, or idea that exhibits a fractal-like property.
   • 1999, John J. McGonagle, Carolyn M. Vella, The Internet Age of Competitive Intelligence, ?ISBN.

     In essence, you are assuming that each segment of a company is a fractal of the whole […]

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:fractal

Derived terms

• fractal dimension
• multifractal

Translations

Adjective

fractal (not comparable)

1. (mathematics) Having the form of a fractal.
2. (figuratively) Exhibiting a fractal-like property.
   • 2007, Vincent Spina, "Three Central American writers: alone between two cultures" in Carlota Caulfield, Darién J. Davis (eds) Companion to United States Latino Literatures, ?ISBN.

     A fractal situation emerges in this way then: the consequences of Ulysses' decision to abandon Calypso are not entirely predictable.

3. (heraldry) Having a broken part

Derived terms

• fractal antenna
• fractal dimension
• fractal response time

Translations

See also

• fractal on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Mandelbrot set
• Julia set

Anagrams

• flatcar

Catalan

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /f??k?tal/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /f?ak?tal/
• Rhymes: -al

Noun

fractal f (plural fractals)

1. fractal

Adjective

fractal (masculine and feminine plural fractals)

1. fractal

French

Etymology

Coined by Benoît Mandelbrot in 1975, from Latin fractus +? -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f?ak.tal/

Adjective

fractal (feminine singular fractale, masculine plural fractaux, feminine plural fractales)

1. fractal

Noun

fractal m (plural fractals or fractaux)

1. (rare) Synonym of fractale

Further reading

• “fractal” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Portuguese

Noun

fractal m (plural fractais)

1. (mathematics) fractal (self-similar geometric figure)

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f?a??tal/, [f?a???t?al]

Adjective

fractal (plural fractales)

1. fractal

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French fraile, from Latin fragilis. Cognate to fraction, fracture, and doublet of fragile.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f?e?l/
• Rhymes: -e?l

Adjective

frail (comparative frailer, superlative frailest)

1. Easily broken physically; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish
   • 1831, John James Audubon, Ornithological Biography: Volume 1, Blue-grey Fly-catcher

     Its nest is composed of the frailest materials, and is light and small in proportion to the size of the bird

2. Weak; infirm.
   • 1922, Isaac Rosenberg, Dawn

     O as the soft and frail lights break upon your eyelids

3. Mentally fragile.
4. Liable to fall from virtue or be led into sin; not strong against temptation; weak in resolution; unchaste.

Derived terms

• frailly
• frailness

Related terms

Translations

Noun

frail (plural frails)

1. A basket made of rushes, used chiefly to hold figs and raisins.
2. The quantity of fruit or other items contained in a frail.
3. A rush for weaving baskets.
4. (dated, slang) A girl.
   • 1931, Cab Calloway / Irving Mills, ‘Minnie the Moocher’:

     She was the roughest, toughest frail, but Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.

   • 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin 2011, p. 148:

     ‘She's pickin' 'em tonight, right on the nose,’ he said. ‘That tall black-headed frail.’

   • 1941, Preston Sturges, Sullivan's Travels, published in Five Screenplays, ?ISBN, page 77:

     Sullivan, the girl and the butler get to the ground. The girl wears a turtle-neck sweater, a cap slightly sideways, a torn coat, turned-up pants and sneakers.

     SULLIVAN Why don't you go back with the car... You look about as much like a boy as Mae West.

     THE GIRL All right, they'll think I'm your frail.

Verb

frail (third-person singular simple present frails, present participle frailing, simple past and past participle frailed)

1. To play a stringed instrument, usually a banjo, by picking with the back of a fingernail.

References

• frail in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• filar, flair