epsilon

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

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.

Origin of epsilon

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)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for epsilon (1 of 2)

epsilon

/ (ˈɛpsɪˌlɒn, ɛpˈsaɪlən) /

noun

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

Origin of epsilon

Greek e psilon, literally: simple e

British Dictionary definitions for Epsilon (2 of 2)

Epsilon

/ (ˈɛpsɪˌlɒn, ɛpˈsaɪlən) /

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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