epsilon

[ ep-suh-lon, -luhn or, especially British, ep-sahy-luhn ]
/ ˈɛp səˌlɒn, -lən or, especially British, ɛpˈsaɪ lən /

noun

the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet (E, ε).
the consonant sound represented by this letter.
Mathematics. an arbitrarily small quantity, used to indicate that a given quantity is small, or close to zero.

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Origin of epsilon

First recorded in 1400–50; from Greek e psīlón “bare, simple e” (as opposed to diphthongal spellings which in later Greek represented the same sound)

Words nearby epsilon

EPR, E-Prime, EPROM, eprosartan mesylate, EPS, epsilon, epsilon-delta, epsilon-neighborhood, Epsom, epsomite, Epsom salt
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for epsilon

British Dictionary definitions for epsilon (1 of 2)

epsilon
/ (ˈɛpsɪˌlɒn, ɛpˈsaɪlən) /

noun

the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet (Ε, ε), a short vowel, transliterated as e

Word Origin for epsilon

Greek e psilon, literally: simple e

British Dictionary definitions for epsilon (2 of 2)

Epsilon
/ (ˈɛpsɪˌlɒn, ɛpˈsaɪlən) /

noun

(foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) the fifth brightest star in a constellationEpsilon Aurigae
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

Medical definitions for epsilon (1 of 2)

epsilon
[ ĕp′sə-lŏn′, -lən ]

n.

The fifth letter of the Greek alphabet.
The fifth in a series.

adj.

Of or relating to the fifth member of a particular ordered set.
Relating to or characterizing a polypeptide chain that is one of five types of heavy chains present in immunoglobins.

Medical definitions for epsilon (2 of 2)

ε

The Greek letter epsilon. Entries beginning with this character are alphabetized under epsilon.
The symbol formolar absorption coefficient
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.