mantissa
[ man-tis-uh ]
/ mænˈtɪs ə /
|
noun
Obsolete. an addition of little or no importance, as to a literary work.
Nearby words
mantilla, mantinea, mantis, mantis shrimp, mantispid, mantissa, mantle, mantle plume, mantle radiotherapy, mantle rock, mantle, mickey
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)
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples 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
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Word Origin and History for mantissa
mantissa
decimal part of a logarithm, 1865, from Latin mantisa "a worthless addition, makeweight," perhaps a Gaulish word introduced into Latin via Etruscan (cf. Old Irish meit, Welsh maint "size").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science 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
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