Main Entry: mo·ment

Pronunciation: \ˈmō-mənt\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin momentum movement, particle sufficient to turn the scales, moment, from movēre to move

Date: 14th century

1 a : a minute portion or point of time : instant b : a comparatively brief period of time
2 a : present time <at the moment she is working on a novel> b : a time of excellence or conspicuousness <he has his moments>
3 : importance in influence or effect <a matter of great moment>
4 obsolete : a cause or motive of action
5 : a stage in historical or logical development
6 a : tendency or measure of tendency to produce motion especially about a point or axis b : the product of quantity (as a force) and the distance to a particular axis or point
7 a : the mean of the nth powers of the deviations of the observed values in a set of statistical data from a fixed value b : the expected value of a power of the deviation of a random variable from a fixed value

synonyms see importance