Geom. an extremely irregular line or surface formed of an infinite number of similarly irregular sections: fractals have fractional dimension between one and two, or between two and three, dimensions
Origin:
< L fractus (see fractus) + -al
See fractal in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
A geometric pattern that is repeated at ever smaller scales to produce irregular shapes and surfaces that cannot be represented by classical geometry. Fractals are used especially in computer modeling of irregular patterns and structures in nature.
Origin:
Origin: French
Origin: , from Latin frāctus
Origin: , past participle of frangere, to break; see fraction