infinitesimal

1 of 2

adjective

in·fin·i·tes·i·mal (ˌ)in-ˌfi-nə-ˈte-sə-məl How to pronounce infinitesimal (audio)

-zə-məl

: immeasurably or incalculably small

an infinitesimal difference

: taking on values arbitrarily close to but greater than zero

infinitesimally

(ˌ)in-ˌfi-nə-ˈte-sə-mə-lē How to pronounce infinitesimal (audio)

-zə-mə-

adverb

infinitesimal

2 of 2

noun

: an infinitesimal quantity or variable

Did you know?

What is the origin of infinitesimal?

Infinite, as you probably know, means "endless" or "extending indefinitely." It is ultimately from Latin infīnītus, the opposite of fīnītus, meaning "finite." The notion of smallness in infinitesimal derives from the mathematical concept that a quantity can be divided endlessly; no matter how small, it can be subdivided into yet smaller fractions, or infinitesimals. The concept was still in its infancy in the early 1700s when Irish philosopher George Berkeley observed that some people "assert there are infinitesimals of infinitesimals of infinitesimals, etc., without ever coming to an end." He used the word in a mathematical sense, too, referring to "infinitesimal parts of finite lines." Later, the adjectival form acquired a general sense applicable to anything too small to be measured.

Example Sentences

Adjective an infinitesimal moment in time a soft drink with only an infinitesimal amount of caffeine

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Purchasing that share gives you an infinitesimal stake in the company and entitles you to any dividend the company may pay out, but your ownership stake isn’t large enough to affect the company’s decision-making and operations.

Chris Morran, ProPublica, 8 Aug. 2022 By last week, Kritsky had received only 85 reports of stragglers, an infinitesimal speck when compared with the billions of bugs that swarmed us last year, right on schedule.

John Kelly, Washington Post, 22 May 2022 The whirlwind of empty images of arbitrarily infinitesimal durations taken from an arbitrary abundance of angles suggests the vague desire for anything but realism.

Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2022 That can appear infinitesimal in a racetrack that held around 325,000 fans the day before.

Claire Rafford, The Indianapolis Star, 30 May 2022 Then in the nineteenth century, the cell was discovered, and the single machine in its turn was found to be the product of millions of infinitesimal machines—the cells.

Loren C. Eiseley, Harper’s Magazine , 27 Apr. 2022 In the original Big Bang, there’s a core, an infinitesimal singularity that brought the whole universe bursting into creation.

Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2022 But Apple has frequently targeted entities that have nothing to do with tech or that are infinitesimal in size.

New York Times, 11 Mar. 2022 An attorney for the airmen argued during a 2019 hearing that the odds of transmitting HIV in combat are infinitesimal and should not limit their deployment or lead to their discharge.

Fox News, 10 Apr. 2022

Noun

Since then, Parker has persistently sought meaning in the infinitesimal and evanescent.

Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 20 May 2022 This led to his theory of surreal numbers — a huge new number system containing not only all the real numbers, but also a boggling collection of infinites and infinitesimals, like π minus 1 divided by the cube root of infinity.

New York Times, 16 May 2020 Infinities implicitly pervade many familiar mathematical concepts, such as the idea of points as mentioned above, the idea of the continuum, and the concept of infinitesimals in calculus.

Quanta Magazine, 16 June 2016 See More

单词	infinitesimal
释义	infinitesimal 1 of 2 adjective in·fin·i·tes·i·mal (ˌ)in-ˌfi-nə-ˈte-sə-məl -zə-məl 1 : immeasurably or incalculably small an infinitesimal difference 2 : taking on values arbitrarily close to but greater than zero infinitesimally (ˌ)in-ˌfi-nə-ˈte-sə-mə-lē -zə-mə- adverb infinitesimal 2 of 2 noun : an infinitesimal quantity or variable Did you know? What is the origin of infinitesimal? Infinite, as you probably know, means "endless" or "extending indefinitely." It is ultimately from Latin infīnītus, the opposite of fīnītus, meaning "finite." The notion of smallness in infinitesimal derives from the mathematical concept that a quantity can be divided endlessly; no matter how small, it can be subdivided into yet smaller fractions, or infinitesimals. The concept was still in its infancy in the early 1700s when Irish philosopher George Berkeley observed that some people "assert there are infinitesimals of infinitesimals of infinitesimals, etc., without ever coming to an end." He used the word in a mathematical sense, too, referring to "infinitesimal parts of finite lines." Later, the adjectival form acquired a general sense applicable to anything too small to be measured. Synonyms Adjective atomic bitsy bitty itty-bitty itsy-bitsy little bitty microminiature microscopic microscopical miniature minuscule minute teensy teensy-weensy teeny teeny-weeny tiny wee weeny weensy See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Adjective an infinitesimal moment in time a soft drink with only an infinitesimal amount of caffeine Recent Examples on the Web Adjective Purchasing that share gives you an infinitesimal stake in the company and entitles you to any dividend the company may pay out, but your ownership stake isn’t large enough to affect the company’s decision-making and operations. Chris Morran, ProPublica, 8 Aug. 2022 By last week, Kritsky had received only 85 reports of stragglers, an infinitesimal speck when compared with the billions of bugs that swarmed us last year, right on schedule. John Kelly, Washington Post, 22 May 2022 The whirlwind of empty images of arbitrarily infinitesimal durations taken from an arbitrary abundance of angles suggests the vague desire for anything but realism. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2022 That can appear infinitesimal in a racetrack that held around 325,000 fans the day before. Claire Rafford, The Indianapolis Star, 30 May 2022 Then in the nineteenth century, the cell was discovered, and the single machine in its turn was found to be the product of millions of infinitesimal machines—the cells. Loren C. Eiseley, Harper’s Magazine , 27 Apr. 2022 In the original Big Bang, there’s a core, an infinitesimal singularity that brought the whole universe bursting into creation. Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2022 But Apple has frequently targeted entities that have nothing to do with tech or that are infinitesimal in size. New York Times, 11 Mar. 2022 An attorney for the airmen argued during a 2019 hearing that the odds of transmitting HIV in combat are infinitesimal and should not limit their deployment or lead to their discharge. Fox News, 10 Apr. 2022 Noun Since then, Parker has persistently sought meaning in the infinitesimal and evanescent. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 20 May 2022 This led to his theory of surreal numbers — a huge new number system containing not only all the real numbers, but also a boggling collection of infinites and infinitesimals, like π minus 1 divided by the cube root of infinity. New York Times, 16 May 2020 Infinities implicitly pervade many familiar mathematical concepts, such as the idea of points as mentioned above, the idea of the continuum, and the concept of infinitesimals in calculus. Quanta Magazine, 16 June 2016 See More Word History Etymology Adjective borrowed from New Latin infīnītēsimālis, from infīnītēsimus "infinite in rank" (from Latin infīnītus "having no limit, infinite entry 1" + -ēsimus, suffix of higher ordinal numbers) + Latin -ālis -al entry 1 — more at vigesimal Noun New Latin infīnītēsimus "infinite in rank" + -al entry 2 — more at infinitesimal entry 1 First Known Use Adjective 1710, in the meaning defined at sense 2 Noun 1706, in the meaning defined above Phrases Containing infinitesimal infinitesimal calculus infinitesimal calculus Kids Definition infinitesimal adjective in·fin·i·tes·i·mal in-ˌfi-nə-ˈte-sə-məl : extremely small The chance of winning is infinitesimal. infinitesimal adjective as in minuscule very small in size a soft drink with only an infinitesimal amount of caffeine Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance minuscule tiny microscopic miniature small atomic weeny teeny teensy microscopical bitty itsy-bitsy weensy wee bitsy teeny-weeny teensy-weensy itty-bitty microminiature little minute little bitty baby model diminutive micro smallish petite insignificant mini puny dwarf elfin pygmy dinky pocket dwarfish minikin pocket-sized pocket-size scrubby undersized Lilliputian undersize half-pint pint-sized pint-size Antonyms & Near Antonyms enormous huge massive immense cosmic gigantic colossal tremendous prodigious large astronomical substantial monumental cosmical monstrous astronomic planetary herculean elephantine considerable giant major mountainous titanic mammoth heroic sizable sizeable big heroical great extensive outsized monster gross goodly outsize grand largish hefty good infinite stupendous handsome oversized whopping overgrown bulky super oversize formidable staggering jumbo vast immeasurable hulking majestic monolithic grandiose imposing lofty bumper overscale boundless towering overscaled vasty voluminous whacking cavernous king-size king-sized See More
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infinitesimal

adjective

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing infinitesimal

Kids Definition

adjective

adjective