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What is the origin of infinitesimal?
Infinite, as you probably know, means "endless" or "extending indefinitely." It is ultimately from Latin infīnītus, the opposite of fīnītus, meaning "finite." The notion of smallness in infinitesimal derives from the mathematical concept that a quantity can be divided endlessly; no matter how small, it can be subdivided into yet smaller fractions, or infinitesimals. The concept was still in its infancy in the early 1700s when Irish philosopher George Berkeley observed that some people "assert there are infinitesimals of infinitesimals of infinitesimals, etc., without ever coming to an end." He used the word in a mathematical sense, too, referring to "infinitesimal parts of finite lines." Later, the adjectival form acquired a general sense applicable to anything too small to be measured.
Synonyms
Examples of infinitesimal in a Sentence
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 31 Aug. 2023
Brandon Jutras, associate professor in the school’s department of biochemistry, is developing a test that looks for infinitesimal fragments of the Lyme disease bacteria and can detect them almost immediately after a person becomes infected.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 16 June 2023
These infinitesimal bits of genetic flotsam divide quickly, creating blood cells (red, white, and platelets) at a rate of 500 billion a day.
—Ben Paynter, Men's Health, 26 June 2023
Her performance is effortful, with her plethora of infinitesimal decisions about gesture and inflection filling the film like the rush of code spilling down computer screens in spy-drama surveillance scenes.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2 Feb. 2023
While a combine workout can at best capture an infinitesimal sliver of the meaningful factors of being a productive quarterback, this much is clear: The NFL doesn't have any other player comparable to Richardson, even at a time when his tools are in high demand.
—Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2023
The hope is that, over time, the infinitesimal energy released by that occasional bump might just add up to a signal that’s consistent with an entirely new particle.
—Rachel Courtland, IEEE Spectrum, 1 May 2014
Beneath the madness of Presidential politics, the parties were moving at their usual rate, that of tectonic plates, and the only reasonable posture was to sit at your listening station like a geologist, headphones securely over your ears, waiting for the infinitesimal movement of a needle.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2020
For as long as immigrants fleeing conflict have arrived in the United States, fugitive war criminals have been among them, an infinitesimal percentage of those arriving at American borders, but a profound challenge for a nation committed to sheltering the victims of war.
—Washington Post, 29 May 2019
Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023
The one that resounds with the strongest symbolic power is a cinematic infinitesimal: Gia’s prepaid cell phone, which speaks to her in a robo-voice of her declining balance, dwindling ominously to ninety-six cents when Trey calls her, four when her water breaks.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 July 2023
Since then, Parker has persistently sought meaning in the infinitesimal and evanescent.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 20 May 2022
This led to his theory of surreal numbers — a huge new number system containing not only all the real numbers, but also a boggling collection of infinites and infinitesimals, like π minus 1 divided by the cube root of infinity.
—New York Times, 16 May 2020
Infinities implicitly pervade many familiar mathematical concepts, such as the idea of points as mentioned above, the idea of the continuum, and the concept of infinitesimals in calculus.
—Quanta Magazine, 16 June 2016
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'infinitesimal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Adjective
borrowed from New Latin infīnītēsimālis, from infīnītēsimus "infinite in rank" (from Latin infīnītus "having no limit, infinite entry 1" + -ēsimus, suffix of higher ordinal numbers) + Latin -ālis -al entry 1 — more at vigesimal
Noun
New Latin infīnītēsimus "infinite in rank" + -al entry 2 — more at infinitesimal entry 1
Phrases Containing infinitesimal
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Cite this Entry
“Infinitesimal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infinitesimal. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.
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infinitesimal
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on infinitesimal
Nglish: Translation of infinitesimal for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about infinitesimal
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