Word of the Day : November 14, 2020

infinitesimal \in-fin-ih-TESS-uh-mul\ adjective

Definition

1 : taking on values arbitrarily close to but greater than zero

2 : immeasurably or incalculably small

Did You Know?

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.

Aired November 14, 2020

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