the branch of mathematics concerned with the theory of enumeration, or combinations and permutations, in order to solve problems about the possibility of constructing arrangements of objects which satisfy specified conditions
Also called: combinatorics (ˌkɒmbɪnəˈtɔːrɪks)
combinatorial analysis in American English
noun
Math
the branch of mathematics that deals with permutations and combinations, esp. used in statistics and probability
Word origin
[1810–20]This word is first recorded in the period 1810–20. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: duplex, knockout, rationalize, triangulation, unitary