Hypertext Webster Gateway: "exponent"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Exponent \Ex*po"nent\, n. [L. exponens, -entis, p. pr. of
exponere to put out, set forth, expose. See {Expound}.]
1. (Alg.) A number, letter, or any quantity written on the
right hand of and above another quantity, and denoting how
many times the latter is repeated as a factor to produce
the power indicated;
Note: thus a^{2} denotes the second power, and a^{n} the xth
power, of a (2 and x being the exponents). A fractional
exponent, or index, is used to denote the root of a
quantity. Thus, a^{1/3} denotes the third or cube root
of a.
2. One who, or that which, stands as an index or
representative; as, the leader of a party is the exponent
of its principles.
{Exponent of a ratio}, the quotient arising when the
antecedent is divided by the consequent; thus, 6 is the
exponent of the ratio of 30 to 5. [R.]
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
exponent
n 1: a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea [syn: {advocate},
{advocator}, {proponent}]
2: someone who expounds and interprets or explains
3: a mathematical notation indicating the number of times a
quantity is multiplied by itself [syn: {power}, {index}]
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