parameter

[ puh-ram-i-ter ]

noun

1. Mathematics.
   1. a constant or variable term in a function that determines the specific form of the function but not its general nature, as a in f ( x ) = ax, where a determines only the slope of the line described by f ( x ).
   2. one of the independent variables in a set of parametric equations.
2. Statistics. a variable entering into the mathematical form of any distribution such that the possible values of the variable correspond to different distributions.
3. Computers. a variable that must be given a specific value during the execution of a program or of a procedure within a program.
4. Usually parameters. limits or boundaries; guidelines:

   the basic parameters of our foreign policy.

5. characteristic or factor; aspect; element:

   a useful parameter for judging long-term success.

parameter

/ pəˈræmɪtə; ˌpærəˈmɛtrɪk /

noun

1. one of a number of auxiliary variables in terms of which all the variables in an implicit functional relationship can be explicitly expressed See parametric equations
2. a variable whose behaviour is not being considered and which may for present purposes be regarded as a constant, as y in the partial derivative ∂f( x,y )/∂ x
3. statistics a characteristic of the distribution of a population, such as its mean, as distinct from that of a sample Compare statistic
4. informal.
   any constant or limiting factor

   a designer must work within the parameters of budget and practicality

parameter

1. A quantity or number on which some other quantity or number depends. An informal example is, “Depending on the traffic, it takes me between twenty minutes and an hour to drive to work”; here, “traffic” is the parameter that determines the time it takes to get to work. In statistics , a parameter is an unknown characteristic of a population — for example, the number of women in a particular precinct who will vote Democratic.

Usage Note

Some object strongly to the use of parameter in these newer senses. Nevertheless, the criticized uses are now well established both in educated speech and in edited writing.

Notes

The term is often mistakenly used to refer to the limits of possible values a variable can have because of confusion with the word perimeter .

Derived Forms

• parametric, adjective

Other Words From

• par·a·met·ric [par-, uh, -, me, -trik], par·a·met·ri·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of parameter¹

From the New Latin word parametrum, dating back to 1650–60; para- ¹, -meter

Word History and Origins

Origin of parameter¹

C17: from New Latin; see para- ¹, -meter

Example Sentences

It demonstrates high performance with significantly fewer training parameters and shorter run-time compared to the latest deep learning-based models and, of course, it also outperforms explicit deconvolution methods.

From Science Daily

Due to the complex anatomical structure of the knee joint, different scanning parameters often exhibit different results.

From Science Daily

"This model is the first one capable of measuring those parameters," Medvedev said.

From Science Daily

The effects of forest protection measures on each of these parameters were clear.

From Science Daily

For this one, we had an amazing simulation tool set called ILM Pyro where you can take parameters from a real storm and put them in.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• criterion
• framework
• guideline
• restriction
• specification