# matroid

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A structure that captures the essence of a notion of "independence" that generalizes linear independence in vector spaces and acyclicality in graphs.

## Etymology
From matrix + -oid. They were so named by Hassler Whitney in 1935 in an article titled “On the abstract properties of linear dependence”.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/matroid