Multiplicand

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌmʌltəplɪˈkænd/

Definitions

1. A specific number that serves as one of the two factors in a multiplication operation is known as a part of the calculation that determines a product
2. In mathematics, this term identifies the value being multiplied by another factor to yield a product
3. A numerical value involved in the process of multiplication that acts as one of the quantities contributing to the overall product can be described by this term

Etymology: Its Latin source is "multiplicandus," a gerundive, the grammatical form meaning "that which must be multiplied." The word therefore names the number that is acted upon, the one being multiplied, rather than the one doing the multiplying. That grammatical sense is built into the term's structure. The Latin verb "multiplicare" combines "multus," meaning "many," with "plicare," meaning "to fold." Multiplying was thus originally a matter of folding something over many times, making it manifold. The same "plic-" root appears in "complicate," "duplicate," and "implicit," all of which involve folding or enfolding one thing within another. Pairing "multiplicand" with "multiplier" follows the same logic. One number is the thing being folded over, and the other is the agent that does the folding.

Synonyms: factor