UNKNOWN QUANTITY
Dictionary entry overview: What does unknown quantity mean?
• UNKNOWN QUANTITY (noun)
The noun UNKNOWN QUANTITY has 2 senses:
1. a factor in a given situation whose bearing and importance is not apparent
2. a variable whose values are solutions of an equation
Familiarity information: UNKNOWN QUANTITY used as a noun is rare.
Dictionary entry details
• UNKNOWN QUANTITY (noun)
Meaning:
A factor in a given situation whose bearing and importance is not apparent
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Context example:
I don't know what the new man will do; he's still an unknown quantity
Hypernyms ("unknown quantity" is a kind of...):
factor (anything that contributes causally to a result)
Meaning:
A variable whose values are solutions of an equation
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
unknown quantity; unknown
Hypernyms ("unknown quantity" is a kind of...):
variable (a symbol (like x or y) that is used in mathematical or logical expressions to represent a variable quantity)
"Tomorrow may not be a better day, but there will always be a better tomorrow." (English proverb)
"Most of us do not look as handsome to others as we do to ourselves." (Native American proverb, Assiniboine)
"The smarter you get the fewer words you'd say." (Arabic proverb)
"Speaking is silver, being silent is gold." (Dutch proverb)
