Definition of: formula

(fôr′myə·lə) noun plural ·las or ·lae (-lē)
1. An exact method or form of words prescribed as a guide for thought, action, expression, or statement; fixed rule or set form.
2. A medical prescription.
3. Math. A rule or combination expressed in algebraic or symbolic form.
4. Chem. A symbolic representation of the nature, composition, and structure of a chemical compound. The principal types are: the empirical formula, giving the quantitative values of the constituents, as H₂SO₄, sulfuric acid; the structural formula, showing the linkages of each atom, as CH₃CH₃, ethane; and the graphic formula, showing the spatial relations of the constituents, as
5. A confession of religious faith, or a formal statement of doctrine. See synonyms under LAW, RULE. [<L, dim. of forma form]