decrement

American  

[dek-ruh-muhnt] / ˈdɛk rə mənt /

noun

1. the act or process of decreasing; gradual reduction.

2. the amount lost by reduction.

3. Mathematics. a negative increment.

4. Physics. the ratio of amplitudes of a damped harmonic motion in the course of two successive oscillations.

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decrement British  

/ ˈdɛkrɪmənt /

noun

1. the act of decreasing; diminution

2. maths a negative increment

3. physics a measure of the damping of an oscillator, expressed by the ratio of the amplitude of a cycle to its amplitude after one period

4. (of spectra) a sequence of related spectrum lines decaying in intensity, e.g. Balmer decay

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Other Word Forms

• decremental
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of decrement

First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin dēcrēmentum, equivalent to dēcrē(tus) ( see decrease) + -mentum -ment

Example Sentences

"There's no good evidence that it causes a long-term or permanent decrement in your memory, but it definitely interferes with people's ability to sort of encode new information."

From Salon • Oct. 17, 2022

In fact, Cummings’ team at Duke was successfully able to monitor the vigilance decrement in their research.

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2018

Cummings studied 27 subjects in a four-hour-long driving simulation and found that, on average, their vigilance decreased after just under 21 minutes—a physiological phenomenon known as the vigilance decrement.

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2018

It wasn’t quite a hole, but a relative decrement in the quantity of local ozone near the South Pole during a particular time of year.

From Slate • Sep. 12, 2016

WAVE, BROAD.—A wave having a high decrement, when the strength of the signals is nearly the same over a wide range of wave lengths.

From The Radio Amateur's Hand Book by Collins, A. Frederick (Archie Frederick)