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idempotent

[ahy-duh m-poht-nt, id-uh m-]Mathematics
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adjective
  1. unchanged when multiplied by itself.
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noun
  1. an idempotent element.
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Origin of idempotent

First recorded in 1865–70; idem + potent1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for idempotent

idempotent

adjective
  1. maths (of a matrix, transformation, etc) not changed in value following multiplication by itself
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Word Origin

C20: from Latin idem same + potent 1
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

Word Origin and History for idempotent

1870, from Latin idem "the same" + potentem "powerful" (see potent).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper