Lineare

Lineare is an Italian adjective meaning linear or pertaining to a line. It derives from Latin linearis, from linea meaning “line,” and is used to describe straightness or proportionality to a single parameter. In Italian, lineare is applied across mathematics, physics, and everyday language to indicate a property that can be described by a straight line or a first‑degree relationship.

In mathematics, lineare appears in terms such as funzione lineare (linear function), equazione lineare (linear equation), and spazio lineare (vector space). A linear function has the form f(x) = mx + b; a linear equation in two variables has degree one. Linear algebra studies lineare transformations, systems of linear equations, and the structure of vector spaces, with core concepts including linear independence, basis, and dimension. In physics, linear concepts include linear momentum (momento lineare) and linear displacement, referring to quantities that scale proportionally with a single variable or follow straight‑line behavior.

Lineare is also used in archaeology and linguistics in the names of Bronze Age scripts, notably Lineare A and Lineare B. Lineare B was deciphered and corresponds to an early Greek syllabary; Lineare A remains largely undeciphered and is associated with the Minoan civilization on Crete. The term “Lineare” in these contexts is the Italian or Germanized form of “linear,” applied to the names of the scripts rather than to their content.

In summary, lineare denotes linearity, straightness, or first‑degree relationships in mathematical and physical contexts, and appears in historical script names as part of scholarly terminology.