Meaning & use
lambda
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
The eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet, written Λ or λ.
Grammar: Countable and often written with a symbol: the lambda on the sign.
Patterns
- the letter lambda
The fraternity's emblem included a bold lambda.
In Greek, lambda sounds like the English l.
She copied the lambda onto the board in careful strokes.
nouncountabletechnicalphysicsmathematics
The symbol used in physics for wavelength, and in statistics and mathematics for rates or eigenvalues.
Grammar: Used as a symbol in formulas: the wavelength lambda.
Patterns
- lambda equals something
Lambda stands for wavelength in the equation.
The formula uses lambda to represent the average event rate.
Students found lambda in the problem set.
nouncountablecomputing
In programming, a small nameless function written inline, often passed to another function.
Grammar: Often used as lambda function or lambda expression.
Patterns
- a lambda function
- a lambda expression
He wrote a lambda to sort the list by length.
Python lets you create a lambda in a single line.
The lambda filtered out the empty strings.
Word forms
| plural | lambdas |
|---|
Common combinations
- lambda function
- A lambda function can be passed straight to map.
- lambda expression
- The lambda expression was only one line long.
- lambda calculus
- Lambda calculus is a model of computation.
- wavelength lambda
- The wavelength lambda is measured in nanometers.
- capital lambda
- The capital lambda looks like an upside-down V.
Synonyms and how they differ
- anonymous function
- Anonymous function is the general computing term, while lambda is the specific name in many languages.
- wavelength
- Wavelength is the physical quantity itself, while lambda is only the symbol that stands for it.
- closure
- A closure is a function that remembers its surroundings, which is related to but different from a plain lambda.
Word family
- lambdas noun
- plural, more than one lambda
- lambdacism noun
- a speech habit of mispronouncing the l sound
- alpha noun
- the first Greek letter
- delta noun
- the fourth Greek letter
Commonly confused: lambda or lamb?
lambda vs lamb
A lamb is a young sheep, while lambda is a Greek letter. The first four letters look alike but the words are unrelated.
Practice
In a physics equation, the symbol lambda usually stands for ____.
Choose one answer.
Lambda is the standard symbol for wavelength. Mass, temperature and velocity use other symbols such as m, T and v.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lambda”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.