an indefinitely short period of time; instant: I'll be with you in a moment.
2.
the present time or any other particular time (usually prec. by the): He is busy at the moment.
3.
a definite period or stage, as in a course of events; juncture: at this moment in history.
4.
importance or consequence: a decision of great moment.
5.
a particular time or period of success, excellence, fame, etc.: His big moment came in the final game.
6.
Statistics. the mean or expected value of the product formed by multiplying together a set of one or more variates or variables each to a specified power.
7.
Philosophy.
a.
an aspect of a thing.
b.
Obsolete. an essential or constituent factor.
8.
Mechanics.
a.
a tendency to produce motion, esp. about an axis.
b.
the product of a physical quantity and its directed distance from an axis: moment of area; moment of mass.
Origin: 1300–50; ME < L mōmentum motion, cause of motion, hence, influence, importance, essential factor, moment of time, equiv. to mō- (var. s. of movēre to move) + -mentum-ment
Synonyms: 1.second, jiffy, trice, flash, twinkling. See minute1. 4.significance, weight, gravity. See importance.
A specific point in time, especially the present time: He is not here at the moment.
A particular period of importance, influence, or significance in a series of events or developments: a great moment in history; waiting for her big moment.
Outstanding significance or value; importance: a discovery of great moment.
A brief period of time that is characterized by a quality, such as excellence, suitability, or distinction: a lackluster performance that nevertheless had its moments.
Philosophy
An essential or constituent element, as of a complex idea.
A phase or an aspect of a logically developing process.
The product of a quantity and its perpendicular distance from a reference point.
The tendency to cause rotation about a point or an axis.
Abbr. MPhysics
The product of a quantity and its perpendicular distance from a reference point.
The tendency to cause rotation about a point or an axis.
Statistics The expected value of a positive integral power of a random variable. The first moment is the mean of the distribution.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin mōmentum, from *movimentum; see momentum.]
Synonyms: These nouns denote a brief interval of time. A moment is an indeterminately short but significant period: I'll be with you in a moment. Instant is a period of time almost too brief to detect; it implies haste: He hesitated for just an instant. Minute is often interchangable with moment and second with instant:The alarm will ring any minute. I'll be back in a second. Jiffy and flash usually combine with in a; in a jiffy means in a short space of time, while in a flash suggests the almost imperceptible duration of a flash of light: "He was on his stool in a jiffy, driving away with his pen" (Charles Dickens). She finished the job in a flash. See Also Synonyms at importance.
[moh-muh
nt] 