infinitesimal

See also: infinitésimal

English

Etymology

From Latin infinitesimus, from infinitus (“infinite”) + ordinal word-forming element -esimus, as in centesimus (“hundredth”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪnfɪnɪˈtɛsɪməl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

infinitesimal (comparative more infinitesimal, superlative most infinitesimal)

1. Incalculably, exceedingly, or immeasurably minute; vanishingly small.

   Do you ever get the feeling that you are but an infinitesimal speck, swallowed by the vastness of the universe and beyond?

   • 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

     "You will conceive a bunch of grapes," said he, "which are covered by some infinitesimal but noxious bacillus."

   • 2001, Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl, page 221:

     Then you could say that the doorway exploded. But the particular verb doesn't do the action justice. Rather, it shattered into infinitesimal pieces.

2. (mathematics) Of or pertaining to values that approach zero as a limit.
3. (informal) Very small.

Usage notes

• Strictly, this adjective, like infinite, is incomparable, so more infinitesimal and most infinitesimal are proscribed, especially in the mathematical sense. However, these forms do occur in informal usage, where the very small (but measurable) sense is most common.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:tiny

Antonyms

• infinite
• enormous

Derived terms

• infinitesimal analysis

Translations

very small

• Bulgarian: безкрайно малък (bezkrajno malǎk)
• Czech: nepatrný (cs)
• Dutch: (jargon) infinitesimaal (nl), (colloquial) oneindig klein
• Finnish: äärettömän pieni, infinitesimaalinen
• French: infinitésimal
• Greek: απειροελάχιστος (el) m (apeiroeláchistos)
• Hebrew: אַפְסִי m (afsí)
• Maori: merowhetau
• Polish: nieskończenie mały m
• Russian: бесконе́чно ма́лый (beskonéčno mályj)
• Serbo-Croatian: инфинитезималан
• Tagalog: napakalinggit

mathematics: pertaining to values that approach zero

• Bulgarian: клонящ към нула (klonjašt kǎm nula)
• Czech: infinitezimální
• Finnish: infinitesimaalinen
• Greek: απειροστός (el) m (apeirostós)
• Polish: nieskończenie mały m
• Tagalog: napakalinggit

Noun

infinitesimal (plural infinitesimals)

1. (mathematics) A non-zero quantity whose magnitude is smaller than any positive number (by definition it is not a real number).

Antonyms

• infinity

Derived terms

• infinitesimal calculus
• infinitesimally

Translations

A non-zero quantity whose magnitude is smaller than any positive number

• Finnish: infinitesimaali
• French: infinitésimal (fr)
• Greek: πολλοστημόριο (el) n (pollostimório)
• Hungarian: infinitezimális (hu)
• Russian: бесконе́чно малая величина́ f (beskonéčno malaja veličiná)
• Swedish: infinitesimal (sv)
• Tagalog: napakalinggit

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /infinitesiˈmal/ [ĩɱ.fi.ni.t̪e.siˈmal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: in‧fi‧ni‧te‧si‧mal

Adjective

infinitesimal m or f (masculine and feminine plural infinitesimales)

1. infinitesimal

Derived terms

• cálculo infinitesimal m (“infinitesimal calculus”)
• infinitesimalmente

 

Further reading

• “infinitesimal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014