A polynomial in. x is defined as a finite sum of terms of the form axn, where a is a real number and. the exponent nis a whole number. For each term,a is called the coefficient, and n. is called the degree of the term. For example: If a polynomial has exactly one term, it is categorized as a monomial. A two-. term polynomial is called a binomial, and a three-term polynomial is called a. trinomial. Usually the terms of a polynomial are written in descending order. according to degree. In descending order, the highest-degree term is written first.