exponent: Meaning and Definition of

ex•po•nent

Pronunciation: (ik-spō'nunt or, esp. for 3, ek'spō-nunt), [key]
— n.
  1. a person or thing that expounds, explains, or interprets: an exponent of modern theory in the arts.
  2. a person or thing that is a representative, advocate, type, or symbol of something: Lincoln is an exponent of American democracy.
  3. a symbol or number placed above and after another symbol or number to denote the power to which the latter is to be raised:x, 2, y, and 3 are, respectively, n, m, 4, and 5. The exponents of the quantities
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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