integral

[in-ti-gruh l, in-teg-ruh l] /ˈɪn tɪ grəl, ɪnˈtɛg rəl/

adjective

of, pertaining to, or belonging as a part of the whole; constituent or component:

integral parts.

necessary to the completeness of the whole:

This point is integral to his plan.

consisting or composed of parts that together constitute a whole.

entire; complete; whole:

the integral works of a writer.

Arithmetic. pertaining to or being an integer; not fractional.

Mathematics. pertaining to or involving integrals.

noun

an integral whole.

Mathematics.

Also called Riemann integral. the numerical measure of the area bounded above by the graph of a given function, below by the x -axis, and on the sides by ordinates drawn at the endpoints of a specified interval; the limit, as the norm of partitions of the given interval approaches zero, of the sum of the products of the function evaluated at a point in each subinterval times the length of the subinterval.
a primitive.
any of several analogous quantities.
Compare improper integral, line integral, multiple integral, surface integral.

Origin

1545-55; < Medieval Latin integrālis. See integer, -al¹

Related forms

integrality, noun

integrally, adverb

unintegral, adjective

unintegrally, adverb

Synonyms

2. essential, indispensable, requisite.

Examples from the web for integral

These considerations were integral to the design, he says.
Space exploration has bred satellite technology, which has become an integral part of modern living.
Side comment on the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics.
Children detect falseness a mile away, so believing in what you're doing is an integral part of leading by example.
Intuition and creativity are also integral to his work.
Both of these sectors are demand drivers of rare earths, used in magnets and batteries integral to these products.
Those courts were in fact an integral part of the rebellion.
By that point, she hopes sustainability will be an integral part of the design process, making the pact redundant.
It functioned more as partial guide than as integral component in the stroke.
Starting in the jet era, flight data recorders became integral to investigating crashes.

British Dictionary definitions for integral

integral

adjective (ˈɪntɪɡrəl; ɪnˈtɛɡrəl)

(often foll by to) being an essential part (of); intrinsic (to)

intact; entire

formed of constituent parts; united

(maths)

of or involving an integral
involving or being an integer

noun (ˈɪntɪɡrəl)

(maths) the limit of an increasingly large number of increasingly smaller quantities, related to the function that is being integrated (the integrand). The independent variables may be confined within certain limits (definite integral) or in the absence of limits (indefinite integral) ʃ

a complete thing; whole

Derived Forms

integrality (ˌɪntɪˈɡrælɪtɪ) noun
integrally, adverb

Word Origin and History for integral

adj.

late 15c., "of or pertaining to a whole," from Middle French intégral (14c.), from Medieval Latin integralis "forming a whole," from Latin integer "whole" (see integer). Related: Integrally. As a noun, 1610s, from the adjective.

integral in Science

integral

(ĭn'tĭ-grəl)
Adjective Involving or expressed as an integer or integers.

Noun See definite integral, indefinite integral.