Finesentence logo

Parameter: meaning, definitions and examples

⚙️
Add to dictionary

parameter

 

[ pəˈræmɪtər ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

mathematics

A quantity or constant whose value varies with other variables or circumstances.

Synonyms

element, factor, variable

Examples of usage

  • The parameter a in the equation y = ax + b represents the slope of the line.
  • In statistics, the parameter of a normal distribution is its mean and standard deviation.
Context #2 | Noun

computing

A piece of data passed to a subroutine or function for use as an argument.

Synonyms

argument, input, value

Examples of usage

  • The function takes two parameters, radius and height, to calculate the volume of a cylinder.
  • In programming, parameters are used to customize the behavior of functions.
Context #3 | Noun

linguistics

A linguistic element that contributes to the meaning of a sentence.

Synonyms

component, element, part

Examples of usage

  • In the sentence 'She runs quickly,' 'quickly' is an adverbial parameter.
  • Adjectives and adverbs are common parameters in language.

Translations

Translations of the word "parameter" in other languages:

🇵🇹 parâmetro

🇮🇳 पैरामीटर

🇩🇪 Parameter

🇮🇩 parameter

🇺🇦 параметр

🇵🇱 parametr

🇯🇵 パラメータ

🇫🇷 paramètre

🇪🇸 parámetro

🇹🇷 parametre

🇰🇷 매개변수

🇸🇦 معامل

🇨🇿 parametr

🇸🇰 parameter

🇨🇳 参数

🇸🇮 parameter

🇮🇸 breyta

🇰🇿 параметр

🇬🇪 პარამეტრი

🇦🇿 parametr

🇲🇽 parámetro

Etymology

The word 'parameter' originates from the Greek word 'parametros', which means 'alongside' or 'around'. It was first used in the field of mathematics to describe a variable that determines the characteristics of a system. Over time, the term has been adopted in various fields such as computing, linguistics, and statistics, with each discipline giving it a unique interpretation.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #3,661, this word is part of upper-intermediate vocabulary. While not among the most basic terms, it appears often enough to be valuable for advanced communication.