Bell number

noun

Any member of a sequence of numbers that count the possible partitions of a set, such that the nth number Bₙ is the number of different ways to partition a set that has exactly n elements.

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Meanings

nounBell number (plural Bell numbers)

plural Bell numbers

  1. combinatoricsAny member of a sequence of numbers that count the possible partitions of a set, such that the nth number Bₙ is the number of different ways to partition a set that has exactly n elements.

Origin

Named after Eric Temple Bell, who wrote about them in the 1930s.

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Cite this entry
APA

Bell number. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bell%20number

MLA

“Bell number.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bell%20number. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bell number,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bell%20number.

Source: Bell number on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.