epsilon

[ ep-suh-lon, -luhnor, especially British, ep-sahy-luhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet (E, ε).
the consonant sound represented by this letter.
Mathematics. an arbitrarily small quantity, used to indicate that a given quantity is small, or close to zero.

Epsilon

/ ˈɛpsɪˌlɒn; ɛpˈsaɪlən /

noun

foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation the fifth brightest star in a constellation
Epsilon Aurigae

epsilon

/ ˈɛpsɪˌlɒn; ɛpˈsaɪlən /

noun

the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet (Ε, ε), a short vowel, transliterated as e

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Word History and Origins

Origin of epsilon¹

First recorded in 1400–50; from Greek e psīlón “bare, simple e ” (as opposed to diphthongal spellings which in later Greek represented the same sound)

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Word History and Origins

Origin of epsilon¹

Greek e psilon, literally: simple e

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Example Sentences

Let the ( ¯ ) be used to distinguish η from ε, and ω from ο, and in no other case.

From Project Gutenberg

The middle star of the belt (ε) has a distant blue companion.

From Project Gutenberg

Let our observer now direct his telescope to the star ε Lyræ.

From Project Gutenberg

Let ε be the length (measured on the circumference of radius 1) of each red and black subdivision.

From Project Gutenberg

We can, as for the cathode rays, measure the two deviations and thence deduce the velocity and the ratio ε.

From Project Gutenberg

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