log·a·rithm (lô'gə-rĭth'əm, lŏg'ə-) n.
Mathematics The power to which a base, such as 10, must be raised to produce a given number. If nx = a, the logarithm of a, with n as the base, is x; symbolically, logn a = x. For example, 103 = 1,000; therefore, log10 1,000 = 3. The kinds most often used are the common logarithm (base 10), the natural logarithm (base e), and the binary logarithm (base 2).
[New Latin logarithmus : Greek logos, reason, proportion; see leg- in Indo-European roots + Greek arithmos, number; see ar- in Indo-European roots.] log'a·rith'mic (-rĭth'mĭk), log'a·rith'mi·cal (-mĭ-kəl) adj., log'a·rith'mi·cal·ly adv.