epsilon
[ ep-suh-lon, -luh n or, esp. British, ep-sahy-luh n ]
/ ˈɛp səˌlɒn, -lən or, esp. 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.
Nearby words
- epping,
- epping forest,
- epr,
- eprom,
- eps,
- epsilon-delta,
- epsilon-neighborhood,
- epsom,
- epsom and ewell,
- epsom salt
Origin of epsilon
< Greek è psīlón bare, simple e (as opposed to diphthongal spellings which in later Gk represented the same sound)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for epsilon
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
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
epsilon
from Greek, literally e psilon "bare -e-, -e- and nothing else," in contradistinction to the diphthong -ai-, which has the same sound. Greek psilon "smooth, simple" is of uncertain origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.