infinitesimal
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See also: infinitésimal
English
Etymology
From Latin infinitesimus, from infinitus (“infinite”) + ordinal word-forming element -esimus, as in centesimus (“hundredth”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
infinitesimal (comparative more infinitesimal, superlative most infinitesimal)
- Incalculably, exceedingly, or immeasurably minute; vanishingly small.
- Do you ever get the feeling that you are but an infinitesimal speck, swallowed by the vastness of the universe and beyond?
- 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt , London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
- "You will conceive a bunch of grapes," said he, "which are covered by some infinitesimal but noxious bacillus."
- 2001, Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl, page 221:
- Then you could say that the doorway exploded. But the particular verb doesn't do the action justice. Rather, it shattered into infinitesimal pieces.
- (mathematics) Of or pertaining to values that approach zero as a limit.
- (informal) Very small.
Usage notes
- Strictly, this adjective, like infinite, is incomparable, so more infinitesimal and most infinitesimal are proscribed, especially in the mathematical sense. However, these forms do occur in informal usage, where the very small (but measurable) sense is most common.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:tiny
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
very small
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mathematics: pertaining to values that approach zero
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Noun
infinitesimal (plural infinitesimals)
- (mathematics) A non-zero quantity whose magnitude is smaller than any positive number (by definition it is not a real number).
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
A non-zero quantity whose magnitude is smaller than any positive number
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Spanish
Pronunciation
Adjective
infinitesimal m or f (masculine and feminine plural infinitesimales)
Derived terms
- cálculo infinitesimal m (“infinitesimal calculus”)
- infinitesimalmente
Further reading
- “infinitesimal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014