5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Factor  \Fac"tor\,  n.  [L.  factor  a  doer:  cf  F.  facteur  a  factor. 
  See  {Fact}.] 
  1.  (Law)  One  who  transacts  business  for  another;  an  agent;  a 
  substitute;  especially,  a  mercantile  agent  who  buys  and 
  sells  goods  and  transacts  business  for  others  in 
  commission;  a  commission  merchant  or  consignee.  He  may  be 
  a  home  factor  or  a  foreign  factor.  He  may  buy  and  sell  in 
  his  own  name  and  he  is  intrusted  with  the  possession  and 
  control  of  the  goods;  and  in  these  respects  he  differs 
  from  a  broker.  --Story.  --Wharton. 
 
  My  factor  sends  me  word  a  merchant's  fled  That  owes 
  me  for  a  hundred  tun  of  wine.  --Marlowe. 
 
  2.  A  steward  or  bailiff  of  an  estate.  [Scot.]  --Sir  W.  Scott. 
 
  3.  (Math.)  One  of  the  elements  or  quantities  which  when 
  multiplied  together,  from  a  product. 
 
  4.  One  of  the  elements,  circumstances,  or  influences  which 
  contribute  to  produce  a  result;  a  constituent. 
 
  The  materal  and  dynamical  factors  of  nutrition.  --H. 
  Spencer. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Factor  \Fac"tor\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Factored}  (-t?rd);  p.  pr 
  &  vb  n.  {Factoring}.]  (Mach.) 
  To  resolve  (a  quantity)  into  its  factors. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  factor 
  n  1:  anything  that  contributes  causally  to  a  result;  "a  number  of 
  factors  determined  the  outcome" 
  2:  an  abstract  part  of  something:  "jealousy  was  a  component  of 
  his  character";  "two  constituents  of  a  musical  composition 
  are  melody  and  harmony";  "the  grammatical  elements  of  a 
  sentence";  "a  key  factor  in  her  success";  "humor:  an 
  effective  ingredient  of  a  speech"  [syn:  {component},  {constituent}, 
  {element},  {ingredient}] 
  3:  any  of  the  numbers  (or  symbols)  that  form  a  product  when 
  multiplied  together 
  4:  one  of  two  or  more  integers  that  can  be  exactly  divided  into 
  another  integer;  "what  are  the  4  factors  of  6?"  [syn:  {divisor}] 
  5:  a  businessman  who  buys  or  sells  for  another  in  exchange  for 
  a  commission  [syn:  {agent},  {broker}] 
  v  :  resolve  into  factors  [syn:  {factor  in},  {factor  out}] 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  factor  n.  See  {coefficient  of  X}. 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  factor 
 
  A  quantity  which  is  multiplied  by  another  quantity.  See 
  {coefficient  of  X}.  See  also  {divisor}. 
 
  [{Jargon  File}] 
 
 

browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
or search   thesauri dictionary search words