anything that contributes causally to a result; a number of factors determined the outcome'

an abstract part of something; jealousy was a component of his character; two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony; the grammatical elements of a sentence; a key factor in her success; humor: an effective ingredient of a speech

[ Syn: component , constituent , element , ingredient ]

one of two or more integers that can be exactly divided into another integer; what are the 4 factors of 6?

[ Syn: divisor ]

a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission

[ Syn: agent , broker ]

any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when multiplied together

an independent variable in statistics

(genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity; genes were formerly called factors

[ Syn: gene , cistron ]

resolve into factors; a quantum computer can factor the number 15

[ Syn: factor in , factor out ]

be a contributing factor; make things factor into a company's profitability'

consider as relevant when making a decision; You must factor in the recent developments

[ Syn: factor in , factor out ]