parameter
Mathematics.
a constant or variable term in a function that determines the specific form of the function but not its general nature, as a in f(x) = ax, where a determines only the slope of the line described by f(x).
one of the independent variables in a set of parametric equations.
Statistics. a variable entering into the mathematical form of any distribution such that the possible values of the variable correspond to different distributions.
Computers. a variable that must be given a specific value during the execution of a program or of a procedure within a program.
Usually parameters. limits or boundaries; guidelines: the basic parameters of our foreign policy.
Origin of parameter
1usage note For parameter
Other words from parameter
- par·a·met·ric [par-uh-me-trik], /ˌpær əˈmɛ trɪk/, par·a·met·ri·cal, adjective
Words that may be confused with parameter
- parameter , perimeter
Words Nearby parameter
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use parameter in a sentence
The size and shape of Laniakea depend on the rate of cosmic expansion, which is described by the Hubble parameter.
Laniakea: The Milky Way’s Place in the Heavens | Matthew R. Francis | September 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere has to be more than one parameter than happiness to examine your life.
They cover a surface, and the equation of the surface is obtained by eliminating the parameter between the two equations.
This is with regard to time—I don't know whether that is the right parameter in which you wished to study it, Senator.
Warren Commission (2 of 26): Hearings Vol. II (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President KennedyIs it an inherent parameter or an expressly transcendent one?
After the Rain | Sam Vaknin
A considerable amount of variation in this parameter was found in all of the taxa (Table 5).
Middle American Frogs of the Hyla microcephala Group | William E. DuellmanThe two subspecies of H. microcephala agree more closely in this parameter than in fundamental frequency.
Middle American Frogs of the Hyla microcephala Group | William E. Duellman
British Dictionary definitions for parameter
/ (pəˈræmɪtə) /
one of a number of auxiliary variables in terms of which all the variables in an implicit functional relationship can be explicitly expressed: See parametric equations
a variable whose behaviour is not being considered and which may for present purposes be regarded as a constant, as y in the partial derivative ∂f(x,y)/∂ x
statistics a characteristic of the distribution of a population, such as its mean, as distinct from that of a sample: Compare statistic
informal any constant or limiting factor: a designer must work within the parameters of budget and practicality
Origin of parameter
1Derived forms of parameter
- parametric (ˌpærəˈmɛtrɪk) or parametrical, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for parameter
[ (puh-ram-uh-tuhr) ]
A quantity or number on which some other quantity or number depends. An informal example is, “Depending on the traffic, it takes me between twenty minutes and an hour to drive to work”; here, “traffic” is the parameter that determines the time it takes to get to work. In statistics, a parameter is an unknown characteristic of a population — for example, the number of women in a particular precinct who will vote Democratic.
Notes for parameter
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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