mantissa

[ man-tis-uh ]

noun

1. Mathematics. the decimal part of a common logarithm. Compare characteristic ( def 3a ).
2. Obsolete. an addition of little or no importance, as to a literary work.

mantissa

/ mænˈtɪsə /

noun

1. the fractional part of a common logarithm representing the digits of the associated number but not its magnitude Compare characteristic

   the mantissa of 2.4771 is .4771

mantissa

/ măn-tĭs′ə /

1. The part of a logarithm to the base ten that is to the right of the decimal point. For example, if 2.749 is a logarithm, .749 is the mantissa.
2. Compare characteristic

Word History and Origins

Origin of mantissa¹

1860–65; < Latin, variant of mantisa addition, makeweight, said to be from Etruscan; logarithmic mantissa so called because it is additional to the characteristic or integral part (term introduced by H. Briggs)

Word History and Origins

Origin of mantissa¹

C17: from Latin: something added, of Etruscan origin

Example Sentences

My boyfriend insisted on buying the book, I think it was “Mantissa,” and getting it signed.

From New York Times

Pl. in his Mantissa he describes it more minutely, and changes it to the Genus Manulea, first established by him in the said work; he observes, that in this species the corolla is more regular than in the others.

From Project Gutenberg

Why, for openers, does he call this novel Mantissa and then provide a self-deprecatory definition of the word, "An addition of comparatively small importance, especially to a literary effort or discourse"?

From Time Magazine Archive

Mantissa is a jeu d 'esprit with a vengeance, its principal characters, like so many of Fowles' earlier creations, held in thrall by forces they cannot quite explain.

From Time Magazine Archive

Mantissa is clearly an example of serious modern fiction, with itself as its subject, and not a trace of difficulty is visible anywhere in its construction.

From Time Magazine Archive