determinant
determinant Lexical Profile
determinant Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A factor, circumstance, or agent that decisively affects the nature or outcome of something.
"Access to clean water is a major determinant of public health in developing regions."
A scalar value computed from the elements of a square matrix that characterizes certain properties of the matrix and the linear map it represents.
"If the determinant of a square matrix is zero, the matrix cannot be inverted."
In immunology, the specific site on an antigen molecule to which an antibody binds; an epitope.
"The vaccine targets a conserved antigenic determinant on the surface of the virus."
• adjective
Serving to determine, define, or decisively influence an outcome.
"Economic stability was the determinant factor in the committee's final decision."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'determinant' with 'determinate'; 'determinant' typically refers to a causal factor or a mathematical value, whereas 'determinate' is an adjective meaning having exact and discernible limits.
• Rhymes for determinant
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin 'determinantem', the present participle of 'determinare' ('to enclose within limits, fix, or settle'), formed from 'de-' ('off') and 'terminare' ('to mark the end or boundary'). The mathematical sense was introduced by Carl Friedrich Gauss in 1801.