irreducible[ir′i do̵̅o̅s′ə bəl, -dyo̵̅o̅s′-]
Impossible to reduce to a desired, simpler, or smaller form or amount: irreducible burdens.
- ir′re·duc′i·bil′i·ty, ir′re·duc′i·ble·ness
(comparative more irreducible, superlative most irreducible)
- Not able to be reduced or lessened.
- Not able to be brought to a simpler or reduced form.
- (mathematics, of a polynomial) Unable to be factorized into polynomials of lower degree, as (x^2 + 1).
- (mathematics, of an integer) Unable to be factored into smaller integers; prime.
- (topology, of a manifold) Not containing a sphere of codimension 1 that is not the boundary of a ball.
- (group theory, of a representation) impossible to divide further into representations of lower dimension by means of any similarity transformation
- (mathematics) Such a polynomial
ir- + reducible