epsilon
epsilon Lexical Profile
epsilon Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The fifth letter of the Greek alphabet (Ε, ε), transliterated as 'e'.
"In physics equations, the lowercase Greek letter epsilon often represents permittivity or strain."
An arbitrarily small positive quantity in mathematical analysis, or the empty string in formal language theory.
"To prove the limit exists, you must show that for every epsilon greater than zero, there is a corresponding delta."
The fifth item in a series or classification, especially the fifth brightest star in a constellation.
"Epsilon Eridani is one of the closest known planetary systems to our solar system."
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Greek 'e psilon', literally meaning 'bare e' or 'simple e', coined by Byzantine grammarians to distinguish the single vowel letter from the diphthong 'ai', which had come to be pronounced identically.