 Algebraic addition theorem

A meromorphic function $f$ has an algebraic addition theorem if some nonzero polynomial $P\in \mathbb{C}[U,V,W]$ satisfies $P(f(z),f(w),f(z+w))=0$ wherever the three values are finite. For a polynomial $f$ of degree $d>0$, take roots $z_i$ of $f(z)-U$ and $w_j$ of $f(w)-V$; the product ${\prod }_{i,j}(W-f(z_i+w_j))$ has polynomial coefficients in $U,V$ by the Fundamental theorem of symmetric polynomials, is monic in $W$, and supplies an addition relation. An elliptic function also has such a relation, by finite algebraic extension of its function field and the Weierstrass elliptic function addition formula.