logarithmic
|log-ar-ith-mic|
🇺🇸
/ˌlɑːɡəˈrɪðmɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌlɒɡəˈrɪðmɪk/
relating to logarithms
Etymology
'logarithmic' originates from the noun 'logarithm' (Modern Latin/Greek via English), specifically from Greek elements 'logos' and 'arithmos', where 'logos' meant 'ratio, proportion, word' and 'arithmos' meant 'number'.
'logarithm' was coined in the early 17th century (John Napier, 1614) from Greek elements; later the English adjective was formed by adding the suffix '-ic' to produce 'logarithmic'.
Initially, the root referred to the concept of a 'ratio/number relation' (as in logarithm methods); over time the adjective came to mean 'relating to or expressed by logarithms' and more broadly 'having change that follows a logarithmic pattern'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to, expressed by, or involving logarithms (mathematical functions that map multiplication into addition).
The chart uses a logarithmic scale to display values that span several orders of magnitude.
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Adjective 2
describing growth or change that follows a logarithmic function (e.g., increases rapidly at first, then slows).
Early returns showed logarithmic improvement in performance, with gains tapering off later.
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Last updated: 2025/11/03 05:08