Dictionary
frac•tal
Pronunciation: (frak'tl), [key]—
n. Math., Physics.
a geometrical or physical structure having an irregular or fragmented shape at all scales of measurement between a greatest and smallest scale such that certain mathematical or physical properties of the structure, as the perimeter of a curve or the flow rate in a porous medium, behave as if the dimensions of the structure
(frac'tal dimen'sions) are greater than the spatial dimensions.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.