exponent

American  

[ik-spoh-nuhnt, ek-spoh-nuhnt] / ɪkˈspoʊ nənt, ˈɛk spoʊ nənt /

noun

1. a person or thing that expounds, explains, or interprets.

   an exponent of modern theory in the arts.

   Synonyms:

   promoter, proponent, champion, supporter

2. a person or thing that is a representative, advocate, type, or symbol of something.

   Lincoln is an exponent of American democracy.

   Synonyms:

   personification, embodiment

3. Mathematics. a symbol or number placed above and after another symbol or number to denote the power to which the latter is to be raised.

   The exponents of the quantities xn, 2m, y4, and 35 are, respectively, n, m, 4, and 5.

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exponent British  

/ ɪkˈspəʊnənt /

noun

1. (usually foll by of) a person or thing that acts as an advocate (of an idea, cause, etc)

2. a person or thing that explains or interprets

3. a performer or interpretive artist, esp a musician

4. Also called: power.   index.  maths a number or variable placed as a superscript to the right of another number or quantity indicating the number of times the number or quantity is to be multiplied by itself

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adjective

1. offering a declaration, explanation, or interpretation

exponent Scientific  

/ ĕk′spō′nənt,ĭk-spō′nənt /

1. A number or symbol, placed above and to the right of the expression to which it applies, that indicates the number of times the expression is used as a factor. For example, the exponent 3 in 5 ³ indicates 5 × 5 × 5; the exponent x in (a + b) ^x indicates (a + b) multiplied by itself x times.

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Etymology

Origin of exponent

1575–85; < Latin expōnent- (stem of expōnēns ), present participle of expōnere to expound; -ent

Explanation

An exponent is a person who is a big promoter of something. Are you an exponent of the four-day school and work week? You may already know the mathematical meaning of exponent: a numeric notation showing how many times a number is multiplied by itself. How did exponent come to mean a strong advocate or promoter of something? Well, its Latin ancestor was a verb meaning "to put forth" and it's easy to see how this could be generalized to refer to people. After all, aren't you an exponent of freedom of expression?

Example Sentences

“We take the exponent from the top minus the exponent from the bottom, right?” explained Flores, who majored in math at Cal State L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2025

Its message was spread across the world in the 1970s by Marley — the faith’s most famous exponent.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2024

They also found that the gamma-ray flare distribution indicates that blazar neutrino emission may be dominated by flares for the weighting exponent >1.5.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2023

Abby Abildness has been the leading exponent of NAR's vision for Pennsylvania.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2023

By these works he became a recognized exponent of orthodox Hegelianism.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 5 "Hinduism" to "Home, Earls of" by Various

Related Words

• interpreter
• proponent