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remainder

[ri-meyn-der]
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noun
  1. something that remains or is left: the remainder of the day.
  2. a remaining part.
  3. Arithmetic.
    1. the quantity that remains after subtraction.
    2. the portion of the dividend that is not evenly divisible by the divisor.
  4. Mathematics. the difference between a function or a number and an approximation to it.
  5. Law. a future interest so created as to take effect at the end of another estate, as when property is conveyed to one person for life and then to another.
  6. remainders, Philately. the quantities of stamps on hand after they have been demonetized or otherwise voided for postal use.
  7. a copy of a book remaining in the publisher's stock when its sale has practically ceased, frequently sold at a reduced price.
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adjective
  1. remaining; leftover.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to dispose of or sell as a remainder.
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Origin of remainder

1350–1400; Middle English < Anglo-French, noun use of Middle French remaindre to remain

Synonyms

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1. residuum, remnant, excess, rest, overage. 2. Remainder, balance, residue, surplus refer to a portion left over. Remainder is the general word ( the remainder of one's life ); it may refer in particular to the mathematical process of subtraction: 7 minus 5 leaves a remainder of 2. Balance, originally a bookkeeper's term referring to the amount of money left to one's account ( a bank balance ), is often used as a synonym for remainder : the balance of the day. Residue is used particularly to designate what remains as the result of a process; this is usually a chemical process, but the word may also refer to a legal process concerning inheritance: a residue of ash left from burning leaves. Surplus suggests that what remains is in excess of what was needed: a surplus of goods.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

reststumpsurplusgarbageexcessremnantoddmentwreckremainsobversescraphangoverwastejunkleavingsrelictracefragmentbuttdetritus

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British Dictionary definitions for remainder

remainder

noun
  1. a part or portion that is left, as after use, subtraction, expenditure, the passage of time, etcthe remainder of the milk; the remainder of the day
  2. maths
    1. the amount left over when one quantity cannot be exactly divided by anotherfor 10 ÷ 3, the remainder is 1
    2. another name for difference (def. 7b)
  3. property law a future interest in property; an interest in a particular estate that will pass to one at some future date, as on the death of the current possessor
  4. a number of copies of a book left unsold when demand slows or ceases, which are sold at a reduced price by the publisher
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verb
  1. (tr) to sell (copies of a book) as a remainder
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Word Origin

C15: from Anglo-French, from Old French remaindre (infinitive used as noun), variant of remanoir; see remain
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 remainder

n.

late 14c., from Anglo-French remainder, Old French remaindre, noun use of infinitive, a variant of Old French remanoir (see remain (v.)). The verb meaning "dispose of (books) at a reduced price" is from 1904. Related: Remaindered.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
remainder in Science

remainder

[rĭ-mān′dər]
  1. In division, the difference between the dividend and the product of the quotient and divisor. Dividing 14 by 3 gives 4 and a remainder of 2.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.