exponential
|ex-po-nen-ti-al|
/ˌɛkspəˈnɛnʃəl/
relating to exponents; very rapid (accelerating) growth
Etymology
'exponential' originates from English formation based on 'exponent' + suffix '-ial'; 'exponent' ultimately comes from Latin 'exponēns' (present participle of 'exponere'), where 'ex-' meant 'out' and 'ponere' meant 'to put/ place'.
'exponēre' (Latin) → 'exponens'/'exponent-' (Late Latin/Medieval Latin) → English 'exponent' (late 16th century) → adjective formed as 'exponential' (English, later development) to mean 'relating to an exponent' and later extended figuratively.
Initially it meant 'relating to an exponent or to exponentiation'; over time it also gained the figurative meaning 'increasing at a rapidly accelerating rate' used outside strict mathematical contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
short for 'exponential function' or 'exponential quantity' — a mathematical function of the form a^x or e^x, or a value that grows/decays exponentially.
On the log scale, that curve is clearly an exponential.
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Adjective 1
relating to an exponent or exponents (mathematics); involving powers of a constant base raised to a variable exponent.
The population followed an exponential growth model: P(t) = P0·e^{rt}.
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Adjective 2
increasing (or decreasing) at a rate proportional to its current value; showing very rapid (often accelerating) change — used figuratively.
The company's user base experienced exponential growth after the new feature launched.
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Last updated: 2025/11/03 04:35