factor
factor Lexical Profile
factor Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes to a result or outcome.
"Cost was the main factor in our decision to rent a smaller apartment."
A number or algebraic expression that divides another number or expression evenly without leaving a remainder.
"Both three and four are factors of twelve."
A number or quantity that when multiplied with another produces a given number or expression, or expresses a level of increase or decrease.
"Traffic accidents in the city decreased by a factor of three after the new transit system opened."
A substance in the body, such as a protein or gene, that participates in a specific biochemical or physiological process, especially blood coagulation.
"Patients with hemophilia lack a vital clotting factor in their blood."
A business agent, merchant, or financial firm that buys and sells goods on commission, manages estates, or purchases accounts receivable at a discount.
"The textile manufacturer sold its unpaid invoices to a commercial factor to improve immediate cash flow."
• verb
To include or take a particular fact or circumstance into account when making a calculation or decision (usually followed by 'in' or 'into').
"Remember to factor the cost of insurance into your monthly budget."
To express a mathematical number or algebraic expression as a product of its divisors.
"The teacher asked the students to factor the quadratic polynomial on the board."
To sell or manage a company's accounts receivable at a discount to a third-party financial institution in exchange for immediate cash.
"Small businesses sometimes factor their invoices to cover urgent payroll expenses."
• Rhymes for factor
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 15th century from Middle French facteur and directly from Latin factor ('maker, doer, performer'), an agent noun from facere ('to make, do'). It originally denoted a commercial agent acting on another's behalf before broadening in the 17th century to mathematical divisors and contributing causes.