n.
- a circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes to a result.
▸Biology a gene that determines a hereditary characteristic.
- Mathematics a number or quantity that when multiplied with another produces a given number or expression.
▸a number or algebraic expression by which another is exactly divisible.
- a level on a scale of measurement:
a protection factor of 15.
- Physiology any of a number of substances in the blood which are involved in coagulation.
- a business agent.
▸a company that buys a manufacturer's invoices at a discount and takes responsibility for collecting the payments due on them.
▸Scottish a land agent or steward.
v.
-
(factor something in/out)
include (or exclude) something as a relevant element when making a decision.
- Mathematics another term for factorize.
- sell (one's receivable debts) to a factor.
Derivative
Etymology
ME (meaning ‘doer’, also in the Scots sense ‘agent’): from Fr. facteur or L. factor, from fact-, facere ‘do’.