decrement

Definitions

1. 1.The quantity lost by gradual diminution or waste; -- opposed to Ant: increment.
2. 2.(Crystallog.) A name given by Haüy to the successive diminution of the layers of molecules, applied to the faces of the primitive form, by which he supposed the secondary forms to be produced.
3. 3.(Math.) The quantity by which a variable is diminished. Equal decrement of life. (a) The decrease of life in a group of persons in which the assumed law of mortality is such that of a given large number of persons, all being now of the same age, an equal number shall die each consecutive year. (b) The decrease of life in a group of persons in which the assumed law of mortality is such that the ratio of those dying in a year to those living through the year is constant, being independent of the age of the persons.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "decrement" mean?
• What is another word for "decrement"?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is decrement.

• What is the quantity lost by gradual diminution or waste; -- opposed to Ant: increment called?
• What is a name given by Haüy to the successive diminution of the layers of molecules, applied to the faces of the primitive form, by which he supposed the secondary forms to be produced called?