simplest

noun

(pharmacology) A herbal preparation made from one plant, as opposed to something made from more than one plant.

(logic) A simple or atomic proposition.

(weaving) A drawloom.

(weaving) Part of the apparatus for raising the heddles of a drawloom.

(Roman Catholicism) A feast which is not a double or a semidouble.

(obsolete) Something not mixed or compounded.

(obsolete, by extension) A physician.

verb

(transitive, intransitive, archaic) To gather simples, i.e. medicinal herbs.

adjective

Uncomplicated; lacking complexity; taken by itself, with nothing added.

Easy; not difficult.

Without ornamentation; plain.

Free from duplicity; guileless, innocent, straightforward.

Undistinguished in social condition; of no special rank.

(now colloquial, euphemistic) Feeble-minded; foolish.

(zoology) Consisting of a single individual or zooid; not compound.

(botany) Not compound, but possibly lobed.

Using steam only once in its cylinders, in contrast to a compound engine, where steam is used more than once in high-pressure and low-pressure cylinders. (of a steam engine)

(heading, technical) Structurally uncomplicated.

(chemistry, pharmacology) Consisting of one single substance; uncompounded.

(universal algebra, of an algebraic structure) Containing more than one element, and such that the only congruences on the structure are the diagonal relation (the equivalence relation a≡b⟺a=b) and the universal relation (the equivalence relation such that a≡b for all a,b). Equivalently, containing more than one element and having no proper non-trivial quotient algebras.

(category theory, of an object in a category with a terminal object) Being non-isomorphic to the terminal object, and such that its only quotient objects (up to isomorphism) are the terminal object and itself.

(algebra, of a Lie algebra) Being non-abelian and having no proper non-zero ideals. (Note that this is non-equivalent to the usual algebra sense; in particular, the abelian Lie algebra of dimension 1 over any given field is non-trivial and has no proper non-zero ideals, but is by convention not considered simple.)

(mathematics, real analysis, measure theory, of a real-valued function) Equal to a finite linear combination of indicator functions on measurable sets.

(ring theory, of a ring) Being non-zero, and having no proper non-zero two-sided ideals (equivalently, no proper non-trivial quotient rings). For commutative rings, this definition coincides with that of a field.

(module theory, of a module) Being non-trivial, and having no proper non-trivial submodules (equivalently, no proper non-trivial quotient modules).

(group theory, of a group) Being non-trivial, and having no proper non-trivial normal subgroups (equivalently, no proper non-trivial quotient groups).

(algebra, loosely, of an algebraic structure) Being non-trivial, and admitting no proper non-trivial quotients.

(mineralogy) Homogenous.

(archaic) Trivial; insignificant.

(obsolete) Mere; not other than; being only.

Roots

simplussimpl- · Latin · single, simple

Synonyms & related words for simplest

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of simplest. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to simplest

Explore words related to simplest — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include simple, uncomplicated, easiest, simpler, oversimple, unproblematic, dolabriform, commonest. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does simplest come from?

The word simplest breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root simpl-, from Latin simplus (“single, simple”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.