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lowest common denominator

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noun Mathematics.

least common denominator.

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Everyman

Origin of lowest common denominator

First recorded in 1935–40
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for lowest common denominator

lowest common denominator

noun

the smallest integer or polynomial that is exactly divisible by each denominator of a set of fractionsAbbreviation: LCD, lcd Also called: least common denominator
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 lowest common denominator

lowest common denominator

[lō′ĭst]

The least common multiple of the denominators of a set of fractions. For example, the lowest common denominator of 13 and 34 is 12.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for lowest common denominator

lowest common denominator

The smallest number that can be divided evenly into two other numbers (see common denominator). When fractions with different denominators are added together, their denominators have to be made the same; thus, fractions with denominators of nine and twelve have thirty-six as a lowest common denominator. Seventy-two and 108 are also common denominators for fractions with denominators of nine and twelve, but thirty-six is the lowest.

Note

The term lowest common denominator is often used to indicate a lowering of quality resulting from a desire to find common ground for many people: “This fall's TV programming finds the lowest common denominator of taste.”
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.