epsilon

[ ep-suh-lon, -luh n or, esp. British, ep-sahy-luh n ]
/ ˈɛp səˌlɒn, -lən or, esp. British, ɛpˈsaɪ lən /

noun

the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet (E, ε).
the consonant sound represented by this letter.
Mathematics. an arbitrarily small quantity, used to indicate that a given quantity is small, or close to zero.

Origin of epsilon

< Greek è psīlón bare, simple e (as opposed to diphthongal spellings which in later Gk represented the same sound)

Example sentences from the Web for epsilon

British Dictionary definitions for epsilon (1 of 2)

epsilon
/ (ˈɛpsɪˌlɒn, ɛpˈsaɪlən) /

noun

the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet (Ε, ε), a short vowel, transliterated as e

Word Origin for epsilon

Greek e psilon, literally: simple e

British Dictionary definitions for epsilon (2 of 2)

Epsilon
/ (ˈɛpsɪˌlɒn, ɛpˈsaɪlən) /

noun

(foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) the fifth brightest star in a constellation Epsilon Aurigae

Medical definitions for epsilon

epsilon
[ ĕpsə-lŏn′, -lən ]

n.

The fifth letter of the Greek alphabet.
The fifth in a series.

adj.

Of or relating to the fifth member of a particular ordered set.
Relating to or characterizing a polypeptide chain that is one of five types of heavy chains present in immunoglobins.