magnitude

mag·ni·tude

Use magnitude in a sentence

The great magnitude of the Grand Canyon.

noun

Magnitude is defined as large in size or very important.

An example of magnitude is the depth of the Grand Canyon.
An example of magnitude is the size of the problem of world hunger.

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"Magnitude." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Magnitude.

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magnitude

greatness, specif.
1. of size
2. of extent
3. of importance or influence
4. Obs. of character
1. size or measurable quantity: the magnitude of a velocity
2. loudness (of sound)
3. importance or influence
Astron. a number representing the apparent brightness of a celestial body: originally a number in a scale of values 1-6 and applied only to objects (excluding the sun and moon) visible to the naked eye, with the brightest stars at c. 1.5 (1 is the first magnitude) and stars at c. 6 (sixth magnitude) being barely visible, the scale now includes the sun (at ?26.7) and moon (c. ?12.7 when full) as well as the faintest objects visible telescopically (c. 36): each increase of one magnitude represents an increase of 2.512 times the brightness
Geol. a measure of the amount of energy released by an earthquake
Math. a number given to a quantity for purposes of comparison with other quantities of the same class

Origin of magnitude

Classical Latin magnitudo from magnus, great: see magni-

magnitude Idioms

of the first magnitude

of the greatest importance

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"Magnitude." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Magnitude.

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Magnitude. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Magnitude

magnitude

noun

a. Greatness of rank or position: “such duties as were expected of a landowner of his magnitude” ( Anthony Powell )
b. Greatness in size or extent: The magnitude of the flood was impossible to comprehend.
c. Greatness in significance or influence: was shocked by the magnitude of the crisis.
Astronomy
a. The brightness of a celestial body on a numerical scale for which brighter objects have smaller values. Differences in magnitude are based on a logarithmic scale that matches the response of the human eye to differences in brightness so that a decrease of one magnitude represents an increase in apparent brightness by a factor of 2.512. Also called apparent magnitude .
b. A unit on such a scale of brightness.
Mathematics
a. A number assigned to a quantity so that it may be compared with other quantities.
b. A property that can be described by a real number, such as the volume of a sphere or the length of a vector.
Geology A measure of the amount of energy released by an earthquake, as indicated on the Richter scale.

Origin of magnitude

Middle English from Old French size from Latin magnitūdō greatness, size from magnus great ; see meg- in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"Magnitude." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Magnitude.

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Magnitude. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Magnitude

The degree of brightness of a star or other celestial body, measured on a logarithmic scale in which lower numbers mean greater brightness, such that a decrease of one unit represents an increase in brightness by a factor of 2.512. An object that is 5 units less than another object on the magnitude scale is 100 times more luminous. Because of refinements in measurement after the zero point was assigned, very bright objects have negative magnitudes.
A measure of the total amount of energy released by an earthquake, as indicated on the Richter scale.
See more at Richter scale

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MLA Style

"Magnitude." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Magnitude.

APA Style

Magnitude. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Magnitude

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural magnitudes)

(uncountable, countable) The absolute or relative size, extent or importance of something.
(countable) An order of magnitude.
(mathematics) A number, assigned to something, such that it may be compared to others numerically
(mathematics) Of a vector, the norm, most commonly, the two-norm.
(astronomy) The apparent brightness of a star (on a negative, logarithmic scale); apparent magnitude
(seismology) A measure of the energy released by an earthquake (e.g. on the Richter scale).