maximal

adj, noun — 6 senses

maximal

adj

/ˈmæksɪməl/

Etymology From maximum + -al.

1

Largest, greatest (in magnitude), highest, most.

  • The organification of iodide in the thyroid gland was described using a second order rate constant (KthybindC, /nmol/L*hr/kg thyroid weight) fitted to provide thyroidal iodide stores near the maximal value, which increased with age.2016 March 2, “Dietary Iodine Sufficiency and Moderate Insufficiency in the Lactating Mother and Nursing Infant: A Computational Perspective”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI:
  • In the dependency graphs above, we can see that the maximal number of incomplete dependencies in each structure is five, while processing the most embedded noun[…].2025, Edward A. F. Gibson, “Dependency Locality in Language Processing” (chapter 4), in Syntax: A Cognitive Approach, MIT Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 120:
2

Mathematics, Sciences Of a sequence Larger than any previous term in the sequence.

  • In the sequence (1, 2, 10, 5, 12, 6), the fifth term, f(5) = 12, is a maximal term, as each of the first 4 terms are smaller than 12.
3

Mathematics, Sciences Such that no other element is greater (with respect to the given partial order).

Of an element of a poset

  • With respect to the ordering induced by set-theoretic inclusion, the set #92;#123;#92;#123;2#92;#125;,#92;#123;1,2#92;#125;,#92;#123;2,3#92;#125;#92;#125; has two maximal elements: #92;#123;1,2#92;#125; and #92;#123;2,3#92;#125;
Derived terms
bimaximal, halfmaximal, maximal ideal, maximalism, maximalist, maximality, maximalize, maximally, maximal munch, multimaximal, nonmaximal, perimaximal, postmaximal, premaximal, submaximal, supermaximal, supramaximal, tribimaximal, trimaximal, ultramaximal
Related terms
maximative

maximal

noun

Etymology From maximum + -al.

1

Mathematics, Sciences The element of a set with the greatest magnitude.

2

Mathematics, Sciences Said of an ideal of a ring or a filter of a lattice: that it is as large as it can be without being trivial (improper).

3

Human sciences, Logic, Mathematics, Philosophy, Sciences Said of a set of well-formed formulas: that it is as large as it can be without being inconsistent; i.e. that for any well-formed formula φ, the set contains either φ or ~φ.

Synonyms
maximum

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.