noun
- The fifth letter of the Greek alphabet, represented by the symbol ε or E.
- A very small or negligible quantity; something infinitesimal.
Usage: commonly used in mathematics and science
Usage: mathematics and technical contexts
Examples
- The Greek alphabet begins with alpha and continues through beta, gamma, delta, and epsilon.
- In calculus, epsilon is often used to represent an arbitrarily small positive number.
- The engineer dismissed the measurement error as epsilon—too small to matter.
- The symbol ε appears frequently in mathematical proofs and scientific equations.
- Students learning Greek letters must memorize epsilon as the fifth letter.