logarithm

[ law-guh-rith-uh m, -rith-, log-uh- ]

/ ˈlɔ gəˌrɪð əm, -ˌrɪθ-, ˈlɒg ə- /

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).

Nearby words

logania family, loganiaceous, logansport, logaoedic, logaphasia, logarithm, logarithmic, logarithmic function, logasthenia, logbook, 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

If the characteristic of a logarithm is negative, Oughtred indicates this fact by placing the - above the characteristic.
William Oughtred|Florian Cajori
In July, while at work on logarithm tables, he was overtaken by a sudden fainting fit, evidently of an epileptic nature.
Shandygaff|Christopher Morley
The integral part of a logarithm is called the index or characteristic, and the fractional part the mantissa.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 8|Various
To find the logarithm of 2, Briggs raised it to the tenth power, viz.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 8|Various

I always thought you were a sort of calculating machine, who slept on a logarithm table.
The Man Who Rocked the Earth|Arthur Train

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

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.