exponent
noun
ˈek-ˌspō-
Did you know?
You probably won’t be surprised to learn that exponent and proponent have a lot in common. While the two share visual similarities and closely related definitions, they also have a common ancestor: the Latin ponere, meaning “to put.” Exponent comes from exponere, meaning “to explain, expound, or set forth,” while proponent comes from proponere, meaning “to expose to view, bring to one’s attention, propose.” Today, proponent usually refers to someone who argues in favor of something. Exponent can also refer to someone who is an advocate, but it tends to refer especially to someone who stands out as a shining representative of something. In addition, it has kept its earlier meaning of “one who expounds,” as well as its mathematical symbol meaning.
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Examples of exponent in a Sentence
Vicky Camarillo, Austin American-Statesman, 3 Mar. 2024
What is important is that the success that the new exponents have had has splashed and helped us, and that is very good for all of us.
—Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2024
The genus is a property related to the highest exponent in the polynomial equation describing the curve.
—Rachel Crowell, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2024
The man who became Lewis’s chief rival was in many ways his opposite: Stokely Carmichael, an erudite and provocative exponent of Black Power.
—Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Exponent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exponent. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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exponent
noun
ˈek-ˌspō-
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