Word of the Day

: March 7, 2010

exponent

noun ik-SPOH-nunt

What It Means

1 : a symbol written above and to the right of a mathematical expression to indicate the operation of raising to a power

2 a : one that expounds or interprets

b : one that champions, practices, or exemplifies

exponent in Context

"Pianist [Chick] Corea has played plenty of straight-ahead jazz, but is probably best known as an exponent of '70s jazz-rock fusion." (Curtis Ross, The Tampa Tribune, February 19, 1999)

Did You Know?

You probably won't be surprised to learn that "exponent" shares an ancestor with "proponent" -- and indeed, the Latin "ponere" ("to put") is at the root of both terms. "Exponent" descends from "exponere" ("to explain" or "to set forth"), which joins "ponere" with "ex-" ("out"). "Proponent" traces to "proponere" ("to display" or "to declare"), from "ponere" and "pro-" ("before"). "Proponent" can describe someone who offers a proposal (it's related to "propose," which also ultimately comes from "proponere"), but today it usually means "one who argues in favor of something." "Exponent" can also refer to someone who is an advocate, but it tends to refer especially to someone who stands out as a shining representative of something, and in addition it has retained its earlier meaning of "one who expounds."