well-conditioned
|well-condi-tioned|
🇺🇸
/ˌwɛl kənˈdɪʃənd/
🇬🇧
/ˌwɛl kənˈdɪʃ(ə)nd/
in good / stable condition
Etymology
'well-conditioned' is a compound formed from English 'well' (from Old English 'wel', meaning 'in a good way') and 'conditioned' (the past participle of 'condition', from Latin 'condicio' via Old French 'condicion').
'well' comes from Old English 'wel'; 'condition' developed from Latin 'condicio' → Old French 'condicion' → Middle English 'condition', with the participial suffix '-ed' producing 'conditioned', and the modern compound 'well-conditioned' arising by combining 'well' + 'conditioned' in Modern English.
Initially it described being 'in a good condition' in a general or physical sense; over time this basic sense remained while a more technical meaning developed in mathematics and numerical analysis to mean 'not overly sensitive to small perturbations'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
in good physical or mental condition; fit, robust, or maintained in good working order.
After months of training the athletes were well-conditioned and ready for the competition.
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Adjective 2
(Technical, mathematical/numerical) Describing a problem, system, or matrix that does not amplify small input or rounding errors — i.e., numerically stable or not overly sensitive to perturbations.
This linear system is well-conditioned, so small rounding errors will not greatly affect the solution.
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Last updated: 2025/11/15 12:51