factor

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: fac=tor

CIDE DICTIONARY

factor, n. [L. factor a doer: cf. F. facteur a factor. See Fact.].

•  One who transacts business for another; an agent; a substitute; especially, a mercantile agent who buys and sells goods and transacts business for others in commission; a commission merchant or consignee. He may be a home factor or a foreign factor. He may buy and sell in his own name, and he is intrusted with the possession and control of the goods; and in these respects he differs from a broker.  Story. Wharton.  [1913 Webster]

  "My factor sends me word, a merchant's fled
  That owes me for a hundred tun of wine."  [1913 Webster]
•  A steward or bailiff of an estate.  Sir W. Scott.  [1913 Webster]
•  One of the elements or quantities which, when multiplied together, form a product.  [1913 Webster]
•  One of the elements, circumstances, or influences which contribute to produce a result; a constituent; a contributory cause.  [1913 Webster]

  "The materal and dynamical factors of nutrition."  [1913 Webster]

factor, v. t. 

 To resolve (a quantity) into its factors.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

factor, n. & v.
--n.
1 a circumstance, fact, or influence contributing to a result.
2 Math. a whole number etc. that when multiplied with another produces a given number or expression.
3 Biol. a gene etc. determining hereditary character.
4 (foll. by identifying number) Med. any of several substances in the blood contributing to coagulation (factor eight).
5 a a business agent; a merchant buying and selling on commission. b Sc. a land-agent or steward. c an agent or a deputy.
6 a company that buys a manufacturer's invoices and takes responsibility for collecting the payments due on them.
--v.tr.
1 Math. resolve into factors or components.
2 tr. sell (one's receivable debts) to a factor.

Idiom

factor analysis Statistics a process by which the relative importance of variables in the study of a sample is assessed by mathematical techniques.

Derivative

factorable adj.

Etymology

F facteur or L factor f. facere fact- do, make

THESAURUS

factor

Altmann theory, DNA, De Vries theory, Federal, Galtonian theory, MC, Mendelianism, Mendelism, RNA, Verworn theory, Weismann theory, Weismannism, Wiesner theory, adjunct, adjutant, agency, agent, aid, allele, allelomorph, amanuensis, antecedent, antecedents, appraise, appurtenance, article, aspect, assess, assignee, assistant, attorney, backer, baggage agent, bailiff, banker, base, basis, birth, business agent, butler, call, case, catalog, categorize, causation, cause, cause and effect, character, chromatid, chromatin, chromosome, circumstance, claim agent, class, classify, clerk, coadjutor, commercial agent, commission agent, component, consideration, consignee, constituent, contents, count, croupier, curator, custodian, customer agent, datum, deputy, detail, determinant, determinative, determiner, diathesis, dupe, element, emcee, endowment, etiology, eugenics, evaluate, facet, fact, feature, fed, federal agent, financier, fixings, freight agent, functionary, gauge, gene, general agent, genesiology, genetic code, genetics, go-between, ground, grounds, group, guardian, helper, hereditability, heredity, heritability, heritage, housekeeper, identify, implement, inborn capacity, incidental, influence, ingredient, inheritability, inheritance, instance, instrument, instrumentality, insurance agent, integrant, intermediary, item, land agent, landreeve, law agent, lender, librarian, literary agent, loan agent, majordomo, makings, master of ceremonies, matrocliny, matter, means, middleman, minor detail, minutia, minutiae, moneylender, news agent, occasion, official, parliamentary agent, part, part and parcel, particular, passenger agent, patrocliny, pharmacogenetics, piece, point, press agent, principle, proctor, procurator, proxy, puppet, purchasing agent, real estate agent, recessive character, regard, replication, representative, respect, sales agent, secretary, seneschal, sift, sort, sort out, special agent, specialty, station agent, steward, stimulus, theatrical agent, thing, thrash out, ticket agent, tool, travel agent, walking delegate, weigh, winnow

ROGET THESAURUS

factor

Director

N director, manager, governor, rector, comptroller, superintendent, supervisor, straw boss, intendant, overseer, overlooker, supercargo, husband, inspector, visitor, ranger, surveyor, aedile, moderator, monitor, taskmaster, master, leader, ringleader, demagogue, corypheus, conductor, fugleman, precentor, bellwether, agitator, caporal, choregus, collector, file leader, flugelman, linkboy, guiding star, adviser, guide, pilot, helmsman, steersman, steermate, wire-puller, driver, whip, Jehu, charioteer, coachman, carman, cabman, postilion, vetturino, muleteer, arriero, teamster, whipper in, head, head man, head center, boss, principal, president, speaker, chair, chairman, chairwoman, chairperson, captain, superior, mayor, vice president, prime minister, premier, vizier, grand vizier, eparch, officer, functionary, minister, official, red-tapist, bureaucrat, man in office, Jack in office, office bearer, person in authority, statesman, strategist, legislator, lawgiver, politician, statist, statemonger, Minos, Draco, arbiter, boss, political dictator, board, secretary, secretary of state, Reis Effendi, vicar, steward, factor, agent, bailiff, middleman, foreman, clerk of works, landreeve, factotum, major-domo, seneschal, housekeeper, shepherd, croupier, proctor, procurator, ex officio.

Number

N number, symbol, numeral, figure, cipher, digit, integer, counter, round number, formula, function, series, sum, difference, complement, subtrahend, product, multiplicand, multiplier, multiplicator, coefficient, multiple, dividend, divisor, factor, quotient, submultiple, fraction, rational number, surd, irrational number, transcendental number, mixed number, complex number, complex conjugate, numerator, denominator, decimal, circulating decimal, repetend, common measure, aliquot part, prime number, prime, relative prime, prime factor, prime pair, reciprocal, totient, binary number, octal number, hexadecimal number, permutation, combination, variation, election, ratio, proportion, comparison, progression, arithmetical progression, geometrical progression, harmonical progression, percentage, permilage, figurate numbers, pyramidal numbers, polygonal numbers, power, root, exponent, index, logarithm, antilogarithm, modulus, base, differential, integral, fluxion, fluent, numeral, complementary, divisible, aliquot, reciprocal, prime, relatively prime, fractional, decimal, figurate, incommensurable, proportional, exponential, logarithmic, logometric, differential, fluxional, integral, totitive, positive, negative, rational, irrational, surd, radical, real, complex, imaginary, finite, infinite, impossible, numerically, modulo.

Consignee

N consignee, trustee, nominee, committee, agent, delegate, commissary, commissioner, emissary, envoy, commissionaire, messenger, diplomatist, diplomat, diplomate, corps diplomatique, embassy, ambassador, embassador, representative, resident, consul, legate, nuncio, internuncio, charge d'affaires, attache, vicegerent, plenipotentiary, functionary, placeman, curator, treasurer, factor, bailiff, clerk, secretary, attorney, advocate, solicitor, proctor, broker, underwriter, commission agent, auctioneer, one's man of business, factotum, caretaker, dalal, dubash, garnishee, gomashta, negotiator, go-between, middleman, under agent, employe, servant, referee, arbitrator, traveler, bagman, commis-voyageur, touter, commercial traveler, drummer, traveling man, newspaper correspondent, own correspondent, special correspondent.