fac·tor
(făḱtər)
[Middle English factour, perpetrator, agent, from Old French facteur, from Latin factor, maker, from facere, to make.]
noun
- One that actively contributes to an accomplishment, result, or process: “Surprise is the greatest factor in war” (Tom Clancy) See synonyms at element
- One who acts for someone else; an agent.
- A person or firm that accepts accounts receivable as security for short-term loans.
- Mathematics One of two or more quantities that divides a given quantity without a remainder. For example, 2 and 3 are factors of 6; a and b are factors of ab.
- A quantity by which a stated quantity is multiplied or divided, so as to indicate an increase or decrease in a measurement: The rate increased by a factor of ten.
- A gene. No longer in technical usage.
- Physiology A substance that functions in a specific biochemical reaction or bodily process, such as blood coagulation.
transitive verb: -tored, -tor·ing, -tors.
- To determine or indicate explicitly the factors of.
phrasal verbs
- factor in
- To figure in: We factored sick days and vacations in when we prepared the work schedule.
derivatives
- faćtor·a·ble
- adjective
- faćtor·shiṕ
- noun
