Wiki: What is an embedding?

Definition An embedding is a numerical representation of meaning. It turns text into vectors so the system can compare similarity, not just exact words.

Why it matters In research and learning systems, embeddings help retrieve the most relevant papers, modules, or notes for a question.

Clinical analogy Think of it as grouping cases by meaning rather than by exact wording in the chart.

Rule of thumb If you want retrieval, clustering, or semantic search, embeddings are usually part of the pipeline.