Phrase guide

Markov process

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Any stochastic process for which the conditional probability distribution of future states depends only on the current state (and not on past states).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, probability-theory, sciences

Examples

  • 2013, M. G. Shur, Markov Process, entry in Michiel Hazewinkel (editor), Encyclopaedia of Mathematics, Volume 6, page 102, In the theory of Markov processes most attention is given to homogeneous (in time) processes.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a simple stochastic process in which the distribution of future states depends only on the present state and not on how it arrived in the present state

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Markoff process

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stochastic process

Narrower terms: Markov chain, Markoff chain

History

Etymology

Named after Russian mathematician Andrey Markov (Андре́й Андре́евич Ма́рков) (1856—1922), who researched the processes.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 馬爾可夫過程 /马尔可夫过程 (Mǎěrkěfū guòchéng) — stochastic process
  • Czech: Markovův proces — stochastic process
  • Finnish: Markovin prosessi — stochastic process
  • Finnish: Markov-prosessi — stochastic process
  • Icelandic: Markov-ferli — stochastic process
  • Italian: processo markoviano — stochastic process
  • Italian: processo di Markov — stochastic process
  • Russian: марковски́й проце́сс (markovskíj procéss) — stochastic process