exponent

[ ik-spoh-nuhnt, ek-spoh-nuhnt ]

noun

1. a person or thing that expounds, explains, or interprets:

   an exponent of modern theory in the arts.

   Synonyms: promoter, proponent, champion, supporter

2. a person or thing that is a representative, advocate, type, or symbol of something:

   Lincoln is an exponent of American democracy.

   Synonyms: personification, embodiment

3. Mathematics. a symbol or number placed above and after another symbol or number to denote the power to which the latter is to be raised:

   The exponents of the quantities xn, 2m, y4, and 35 are, respectively, n, m, 4, and 5.

exponent

/ ɪkˈspəʊnənt /

noun

1. usually foll by of a person or thing that acts as an advocate (of an idea, cause, etc)
2. a person or thing that explains or interprets
3. a performer or interpretive artist, esp a musician
4. Also calledpowerindex maths a number or variable placed as a superscript to the right of another number or quantity indicating the number of times the number or quantity is to be multiplied by itself

adjective

1. offering a declaration, explanation, or interpretation

exponent

/ ĕk′spō′nənt,ĭk-spō′nənt /

1. A number or symbol, placed above and to the right of the expression to which it applies, that indicates the number of times the expression is used as a factor. For example, the exponent 3 in 5 ³ indicates 5 × 5 × 5; the exponent x in ( a + b ) ^x indicates ( a + b ) multiplied by itself x times.

Word History and Origins

Origin of exponent¹

1575–85; < Latin expōnent- (stem of expōnēns ), present participle of expōnere to expound; -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of exponent¹

C16: from Latin expōnere to set out, expound, from pōnere to set, place

Example Sentences

Other co-authors on the paper are Connor Bischak, a former UW postdoctoral researcher in chemistry who is now an assistant professor at the University of Utah; Jonathan Onorato, a UW doctoral alum and scientist at Exponent; and Kangrong Yan and Ziqui Shen of Zhejiang University.

From Science Daily

Gould was then a world-famous exponent of the music of J.S.

From Los Angeles Times

McDaniel, after all, had been a prominent exponent of the false notion that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.

From New York Times

Its message was spread across the world in the 1970s by Marley — the faith’s most famous exponent.

From Seattle Times

Glowingly charismatic onstage, with a rich baritone voice, he captured audiences around Brazil and, in the mid-1960s, the United States, when he spent two years touring with the saxophonist Stan Getz, the leading American exponent of bossa nova.

From New York Times

Related Words

• interpreter
• proponent