magnitude

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mag·ni·tude

(măg′nĭ-to͞od′, -tyo͞od′)

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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Geology A measure of the amount of energy released by an earthquake, as indicated on the Richter scale.

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

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

magnitude

(ˈmæɡnɪˌtjuːd)

1. relative importance or significance: a problem of the first magnitude.

2. relative size or extent: the magnitude of the explosion.

3. (Mathematics) maths a number assigned to a quantity, such as weight, and used as a basis of comparison for the measurement of similar quantities

4. (Astronomy) astronomy Also called: apparent magnitude the apparent brightness of a celestial body expressed on a numerical scale on which bright stars have a low value. Values are measured by eye (visual magnitude) or more accurately by photometric or photographic methods, and range from –26.7 (the sun), through 1.5 (Sirius), down to about +30. Each integral value represents a brightness 2.512 times greater than the next highest integral value. See also absolute magnitude, visual magnitude

5. (Geological Science) geology Also called: earthquake magnitude a measure of the size of an earthquake based on the quantity of energy released: specified on the Richter scale. See Richter scale

[C14: from Latin magnitūdō size, from magnus great]

ˌmagniˈtudinous adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mag•ni•tude

(ˈmæg nɪˌtud, -ˌtyud)

n.

1. size; extent; dimensions.

2. great importance or consequence: affairs of magnitude.

3. greatness of size or amount.

a. the brightness of a celestial body as expressed on a logarithmic scale where an increase of 1 equals a reduction in brightness by a factor of 2.512, the sixth magnitude being the dimmest observable with the naked eye.

b. absolute magnitude.

5. a number characteristic of a quantity and forming a basis for comparison with similar quantities, as length.

Idioms:

of the first magnitude, of greatest significance.

[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin magnitūdō, derivative, with -tūdō -tude, of magnus large, greatmeg-]

mag·ni·tude

(măg′nĭ-to͞od′)

1. The brightness of a star or another celestial body as seen from the Earth, measured on a numerical scale in which lower numbers mean greater brightness. The dimmest stars visible to the unaided eye have magnitude 6, while the brightest star outside our solar system, Sirius, has magnitude -1.4. The moon has magnitude -12.7, and the sun has magnitude -26.8.

2. A measure of the total amount of energy released by an earthquake, as indicated on the Richter scale.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

magnitude

A star’s brightness measured as either absolute magnitude or apparent magnitude. The latter states brightness in the sky on a scale from -26.8 (the Sun, brightest) to +25 (the faintest).

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	magnitude - the property of relative size or extent (whether large or small); "they tried to predict the magnitude of the explosion"; "about the magnitude of a small pea" property - a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class; "a study of the physical properties of atomic particles" absolute magnitude - (astronomy) the magnitude that a star would have if it were viewed from a distance of 10 parsecs (32.62 light years) from the earth proportion, dimension - magnitude or extent; "a building of vast proportions" order of magnitude, order - a degree in a continuum of size or quantity; "it was on the order of a mile"; "an explosion of a low order of magnitude" dimension - the magnitude of something in a particular direction (especially length or width or height) degree - the seriousness of something (e.g., a burn or crime); "murder in the second degree"; "a second degree burn" amplitude - greatness of magnitude multiplicity - the property of being multiple triplicity - the property of being triple size - the physical magnitude of something (how big it is); "a wolf is about the size of a large dog" size - a large magnitude; "he blanched when he saw the size of the bill"; "the only city of any size in that area" bulk, volume, mass - the property of something that is great in magnitude; "it is cheaper to buy it in bulk"; "he received a mass of correspondence"; "the volume of exports" muchness - greatness of quantity or measure or extent intensity, intensity level, strength - the amount of energy transmitted (as by acoustic or electromagnetic radiation); "he adjusted the intensity of the sound"; "they measured the station's signal strength" amount - the relative magnitude of something with reference to a criterion; "an adequate amount of food for four people" extent - the distance or area or volume over which something extends; "the vast extent of the desert"; "an orchard of considerable extent"
	2.	magnitude - a number assigned to the ratio of two quantities; two quantities are of the same order of magnitude if one is less than 10 times as large as the other; the number of magnitudes that the quantities differ is specified to within a power of 10 order of magnitude ratio - the relative magnitudes of two quantities (usually expressed as a quotient)
	3.	magnitude - relative importance; "a problem of the first magnitude" extensiveness, largeness - large or extensive in breadth or importance or comprehensiveness; "the might have repercussions of unimaginable largeness"; "the very extensiveness of his power was a temptation to abuse it" importance - the quality of being important and worthy of note; "the importance of a well-balanced diet"

magnitude

noun

1. importance, consequence, significance, mark, moment, note, weight, proportion, dimension, greatness, grandeur, eminence An operation of this magnitude is going to be difficult.
importance insignificance, triviality, unimportance

2. immensity, size, extent, enormity, strength, volume, vastness, bigness, largeness, hugeness the magnitude of the task confronting them
immensity meanness, smallness

3. intensity, measure, capacity, amplitude a quake with a magnitude exceeding 5

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

magnitude

noun

1. Great extent, amount, or dimension:

amplitude, bulk, mass, size, volume (often used in plural).

2. The quality or state of being large in amount, extent, or importance:

amplitude, bigness, greatness, largeness, sizableness, size.

3. Relative intensity or amount, as of a quality or attribute:

degree, extent, measure, proportion.

4. The amount of space occupied by something:

dimension, extent, measure, proportion (often used in plural), size.

Translations

جَسامَه، أهميَّهحَجْم، ضَخامَه

důležitostvelikost

størrelsevigtighed

Bedeutung Größe

magnitud

magnitude grandeur importance

mikilvægistærî, styrkur

grandezza

ryškis

lielumssvarīgums

büyüklük önem

大小重要性

magnitude

[ˈmægnɪtjuːd] N

1. (gen) → magnitud f; (= importance) → magnitud f, envergadura f
in operations of this magnitude → en operaciones de esta magnitud or envergadura

2. (Astron) → magnitud f
a star of the first magnitude → una estrella de primera magnitud

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

magnitude

[ˈmægnɪtjuːd] n

(= large scale) → ampleur f
an operation of this magnitude → une opération de cette ampleur
They do not recognize the magnitude of the problem → Ils ne réalisent pas l'ampleur du problème. order of magnitude

[earthquake] → magnitude f

(MATHEMATICS) → magnitude f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

magnitude

→ Ausmaß nt, → Größe f; (= importance) → Bedeutung f; I didn’t appreciate the magnitude of the task → ich war mir über den Umfang der Aufgabe nicht im Klaren; in operations of this magnitude → bei Vorhaben dieser Größenordnung; a matter of the first magnitude → eine Angelegenheit von äußerster Wichtigkeit; a mistake of the first magnitude → ein Fehler ersten Ranges; order of magnitude → Größenordnung f

(Astron) → Größenklasse f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

magnitude

[ˈmægnɪtjuːd] n (gen) → vastità f inv, grandezza, ampiezza; (importance) → importanza (Astron) → magnitudine f

magnitude

(ˈmӕgnitjuːd) noun

1. importance. a decision of great magnitude.

2. size. a star of great magnitude.

mag·ni·tude

n. magnitud.

References in classic literature ?

Thus it was, I first got accurate notions of the almost inconceivable magnitude of space, to which, indeed, it is probable there are no more positive limits than there are a beginning and an end to eternity!

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"I was thinking," he said, "of the uncommon magnitude of that grass-hopper."

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The fruit somewhat resembles in magnitude and general appearance one of our citron melons of ordinary size; but, unlike the citron, it has no sectional lines drawn along the outside.

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It is natural that these and a countless and infinite quantity of other reasons, the number depending on the endless diversity of points of view, presented themselves to the men of that day; but to us, to posterity who view the thing that happened in all its magnitude and perceive its plain and terrible meaning, these causes seem insufficient.

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Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained.

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The magnitude of the task may be understood when it is taken into*

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And even when recognised at last, their immense magnitude renders it very hard really to believe that such bulky masses of overgrowth can possibly be instinct, in all parts, with the same sort of life that lives in a dog or a horse.

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Nevertheless, Leviathan is of so mighty a magnitude, all his proportions are so stately, that the same deficiency which in the sculptured Jove were hideous, in him is no blemish at all.

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When the dimensions of a State attain to a certain magnitude, it requires the same energy of government and the same forms of administration which are requisite in one of much greater extent.

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Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.

View in context

for they may be fixed as in other arts; for the instruments of no art whatsoever are infinite, either in their number or their magnitude; but riches are a number of instruments in domestic and civil economy; it is therefore evident that the acquisition of certain things according to nature is a part both of domestic and civil economy, and for what reason.

View in context

Here it was joined by a river of greater magnitude and swifter current, and their united waters swept off through the valley in one impetuous stream, which, from its rapidity and turbulence, had received the name of the Mad River.