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transient

 - 6 dictionary results
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tran⋅sient

  [tran-shuhnt, -zhuhnt, -zee-uhnt]
Use transient in a Sentence
–adjective
1. not lasting, enduring, or permanent; transitory.
2. lasting only a short time; existing briefly; temporary: transient authority.
3. staying only a short time: the transient guests at a hotel.
4. Philosophy. transeunt.
–noun
5. a person or thing that is transient, esp. a temporary guest, boarder, laborer, or the like.
6. Mathematics.
a. a function that tends to zero as the independent variable tends to infinity.
b. a solution, esp. of a differential equation, having this property.
7. Physics.
a. a nonperiodic signal of short duration.
b. a decaying signal, wave, or oscillation.
8. Electricity. a sudden pulse of voltage or current.
Origin:
1590–1600; < L transi(ēns) (nom. sing.), prp. of transīre to pass by, lit., go across + -ent; see transeunt

Related forms:
tran⋅sient⋅ly, adverb
tran⋅sient⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
2. fleeting, flitting, flying, fugitive, evanescent. See temporary.

Antonyms:
2. permanent.
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trans⋅e⋅unt

  [tran-see-uhnt]
–adjective Philosophy.
(of a mental act) producing an effect outside of the mind.
Also, transient.
Compare immanent (def. 2).

Origin:
1615–25; < L trānseunt-, oblique s. of trānsiēns passing beyond; see transient
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To transient
tran·si·ent   (trān'zē-ənt, -zhənt, -shənt)   
adj.  

  1. Passing with time; transitory: "the transient beauty of youth" (Lydia M. Child).

  2. Remaining in a place only a brief time: transient laborers.

  3. Physics Decaying with time, especially as a simple exponential function of time.

n.  

  1. One that is transient, especially a hotel guest or boarder who stays for only a brief time.

  2. Physics A transient phenomenon or property, especially a transient electric current.


[Alteration of Latin trānsiēns, trānseunt-, present participle of trānsīre, to go over : trāns-, over; see trans- + īre, to go; see ei- in Indo-European roots.]
tran'si·ent·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

transient  (adj.)
1607, from L. transiens (acc. transientem) "passing over or away," prp. of transire "cross over, pass away," from trans- "across" + ire "to go." The noun is first attested 1652; specific sense of "transient guest or boarder" first recorded 1880. Transience is first recorded 1745.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tran·sient
Pronunciation: 'tran-zE-&nt, 'tranch-&nt
Function: adjective
: passing away in time : existing temporarily<transient symptoms>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Computing Dictionary

transient
1. A sudden, brief increase in current or voltage in a circuit that can damage sensitive components and instruments.
(2003-06-12)
2. A software object with a short and limited lifetime which is not saved for later reuse.
(1998-04-19)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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