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mantissa

[ man-tis-uh ]
/ mænˈtɪs ə /

noun

Mathematics. the decimal part of a common logarithm.Compare characteristic (def. 3a).
Obsolete. an addition of little or no importance, as to a literary work.

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Origin of mantissa

1860–65; <Latin, variant of mantisa addition, makeweight, said to be from Etruscan; logarithmic mantissa so called because it is additional to the characteristic or integral part (term introduced by H. Briggs)

Words nearby mantissa

mantid, mantilla, Mantinea, mantis, mantispid, mantissa, mantis shrimp, mantle, mantlepiece, mantle plume, mantle radiotherapy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for mantissa

British Dictionary definitions for mantissa

mantissa
/ (mænˈtɪsə) /

noun

the fractional part of a common logarithm representing the digits of the associated number but not its magnitudethe mantissa of 2.4771 is .4771 Compare characteristic (def. 2a)

Word Origin for mantissa

C17: from Latin: something added, of Etruscan origin
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 mantissa

mantissa
[ măn-tĭs′ə ]

The part of a logarithm to the base ten that is to the right of the decimal point. For example, if 2.749 is a logarithm, .749 is the mantissa. Compare characteristic.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.