Emily Dickinson Lexicon

algebra, n. [It. < Arab. al-jebr, integration or reunion of broken parts, induction of parts to the whole; < Arab. verb meaning restore, consolidate, surgical treatment of fractures, bone-setting.]

Mathematics; process of finding an unknown whole; the calculus of symbols combining laws, relations, and properties of numbers; the science of discovering an unknown quantity by means of one or more known quantities; [fig.] problem-solving mechanism; atonement; redemption; means of healing.