exponent

[ ik-spoh-nuhnt, ek-spoh-nuhnt ]
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noun
  1. a person or thing that expounds, explains, or interprets: an exponent of modern theory in the arts.

  2. a person or thing that is a representative, advocate, type, or symbol of something: Lincoln is an exponent of American democracy.

  1. 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.

Origin of exponent

1
1575–85; <Latin expōnent- (stem of expōnēns), present participle of expōnere to expound; see -ent

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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British Dictionary definitions for exponent

exponent

/ (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

  1. a performer or interpretive artist, esp a musician

  2. 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

adjective
  1. offering a declaration, explanation, or interpretation

Origin of exponent

1
C16: from Latin expōnere to set out, expound, from pōnere to set, place

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

Scientific definitions for exponent

exponent

[ ĕkspō′nənt, ĭk-spōnənt ]


  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 53 indicates 5 X 5 X 5; the exponent x in (a + b)x indicates (a + b) multiplied by itself x times.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for exponent

exponent

A number placed above and to the right of another number to show that it has been raised to a power. For example, 32 indicates that 3 has been raised to a power of 2, or multiplied by itself; 32 is equal to 9.

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.