infinitesimal

From Latin infinitesimus, from infinitus (“infinite”) + ordinal word-forming element -esimus, as in centesimus (“hundredth”).

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪnfɪnɪˈtɛsɪməl/

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infinitesimal (comparative more infinitesimal, superlative most infinitesimal)

1. Incalculably, exceedingly, or immeasurably minute; vanishingly small.

   Do you ever get the feeling that you are but an infinitesimal speck, swallowed by the vastness of the universe and beyond?

   • 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

     "You will conceive a bunch of grapes," said he, "which are covered by some infinitesimal but noxious bacillus."

   • 2001, Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl, page 221:

     Then you could say that the doorway exploded. But the particular verb doesn't do the action justice. Rather, it shattered into infinitesimal pieces.

2. (mathematics) Of or pertaining to values that approach zero as a limit.
3. (informal) Very small.

• Strictly, this adjective, like infinite, is incomparable, so more infinitesimal and most infinitesimal are proscribed, especially in the mathematical sense. However, these forms do occur in informal usage, where the very small (but measurable) sense is most common.

• See also Thesaurus:tiny

• infinite
• enormous

• infinitesimal analysis

infinitesimal (plural infinitesimals)

1. (mathematics) A non-zero quantity whose magnitude is smaller than any positive number (by definition it is not a real number).

• infinity

• infinitesimal calculus
• infinitesimally

• IPA^(key): /infinitesiˈmal/ [ĩɱ.fi.ni.t̪e.siˈmal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: in‧fi‧ni‧te‧si‧mal

infinitesimal m or f (masculine and feminine plural infinitesimales)

1. infinitesimal

• “infinitesimal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014