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logarithm

[ law-guh-rith-uh m, -rith-, log-uh- ]
/ ˈlɔ gəˌrɪð əm, -ˌrɪθ-, ˈlɒg ə- /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR logarithm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Mathematics.

the exponent of the power to which a base number must be raised to equal a given number; log: 2 is the logarithm of 100 to the base 10 (2 = log10 100).

RELATED WORDS

numeral, numerical, arithmetic, binary, exponent, fraction, fractional, integral, mathematical, statistical, algebraic, algorithmic, arithmetical, differential, digital, exponential, logarithmic, numerary, integrated

Nearby words

  1. logania family,
  2. loganiaceous,
  3. logansport,
  4. logaoedic,
  5. logaphasia,
  6. logarithmic,
  7. logarithmic function,
  8. logasthenia,
  9. logbook,
  10. loge

Origin of logarithm

1605–15; < New Latin logarithmus < Greek lóg(os) log- + arithmós number; see arithmetic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for logarithm

British Dictionary definitions for logarithm

logarithm

/ (ˈlɒɡəˌrɪðəm) /

noun

the exponent indicating the power to which a fixed number, the base, must be raised to obtain a given number or variable. It is used esp to simplify multiplication and division: if a x = M, then the logarithm of M to the base a (written log a M) is xOften shortened to: log See also common logarithm, natural logarithm

Word Origin for logarithm

C17: from New Latin logarithmus, coined 1614 by John Napier, from Greek logos ratio, reckoning + arithmos number
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 logarithm

logarithm

n.

1610s, Modern Latin logarithmus, coined by Scottish mathematician John Napier (1550-1617), literally "ratio-number," from Greek logos "proportion, ratio, word" (see logos) + arithmos "number" (see arithmetic).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for logarithm

logarithm

[ lô′gə-rĭð′əm ]

The power to which a base must be raised to produce a given number. For example, if the base is 10, then the logarithm of 1,000 (written log 1,000 or log10 1,000) is 3 because 103 = 1,000. See more at common logarithm natural logarithm.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.