covariant

[ koh-vair-ee-uhnt ]

adjective

, Mathematics.

1. (of one magnitude with respect to another) varying in accordance with a fixed mathematical relationship:

   The area of a square is covariant with the length of a side.

Word History and Origins

Origin of covariant¹

First recorded in 1850–55; co- + variant

Example Sentences

We have in the Hessian the first instance of a covariant of a ternary form.

From Project Gutenberg