[puh-ram-i-ter] 
| 1. | Mathematics.
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| 2. | Statistics. a variable entering into the mathematical form of any distribution such that the possible values of the variable correspond to different distributions. |
| 3. | Computers. a variable that must be given a specific value during the execution of a program or of a procedure within a program. |
| 4. | Usually, parameters. limits or boundaries; guidelines: the basic parameters of our foreign policy. |
| 5. | characteristic or factor; aspect; element: a useful parameter for judging long-term success. |
[par-uh-me-trik] , par⋅a⋅met⋅ri⋅cal, adjective | pa·ram·e·ter (pə-rām'ĭ-tər) n.
[New Latin parametrum, a line through the focus and parallel to the directrix of a conic : Greek para-, beside; see para-1 + Greek metron, measure; see -meter.] par'a·met'ric (pār'ə-mět'rĭk), par'a·met'ri·cal adj., par'a·met'ri·cal·ly adv. Usage Note: The term parameter, which originates in mathematics, has a number of specific meanings in fields such as astronomy, electricity, crystallography, and statistics. Perhaps because of its ring of technical authority, it has been used more generally in recent years to refer to any factor that determines a range of variations and especially to a factor that restricts what can result from a process or policy. In this use it often comes close to meaning "a limit or boundary." Some of these new uses have a clear connection to the technical senses of the word. For example, the provisions of a zoning ordinance that limit the height or density of new construction can be reasonably likened to mathematical parameters that establish the limits of other variables. Therefore one can say The zoning commission announced new planning parameters for the historic Lamping district of the city. But other uses go one step further and treat parameter as a high-toned synonym for characteristic. Eighty percent of Panelists reject this use of parameter in the example The Judeo-Christian ethic is one of the important parameters of Western culture. · Some of the difficulties with the nontechnical use of parameter appear to arise from its resemblance to the word perimeter, with which it shares the sense "limit," though the precise meanings of the two words differ. This confusion probably explains the use of parameter in a sentence such as U.S. forces report that the parameters of the mine area in the Gulf are fairly well established, where the word perimeter would have expressed the intended sense more exactly. This example of a use of parameter was unacceptable to 61 percent of the Usage Panel. |
A quantity or number on which some other quantity or number depends. An informal example is, “Depending on the traffic, it takes me between twenty minutes and an hour to drive to work”; here, “traffic” is the parameter that determines the time it takes to get to work. In statistics, a parameter is an unknown characteristic of a population — for example, the number of women in a particular precinct who will vote Democratic.
Note: The term is often mistakenly used to refer to the limits of possible values a variable can have because of confusion with the word perimeter.
parameter pa·ram·e·ter (pə-rām'ĭ-tər)
n.
One of a set of measurable factors, such as temperature and pressure, that define a system and determine its behavior and are varied in an experiment.
A factor that determines a range of variations; a boundary.
A statistical quantity, such as a mean or standard deviation of a total population, that is calculated from data and describes a characteristic of the population as opposed to a sample from the population.
A psychoanalytic tactic, other than interpretation, used by the analyst to further the patient's progress.
A factor that restricts what is possible or what results. Not in technical use.
A distinguishing characteristic or feature. Not in technical use.
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