Added 9 October 2026
logarithm
/ˈlɒɡ.ə.ɹɪ.ð(ə)m/ noun
In Latin: logarithmus Coined: a coined word, by Ancient Greek Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about logarithm at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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For a number x, the exponent by which a given base number must be raised in order to obtain the power x. Written logbx. For example, log101000=3 because 103=1000 and log216=4 because 24=16.
For a currency which uses denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, etc., each jump in the base-10 logarithm from one denomination to the next higher is either 0.3010 or 0.3979.
Origin
From New Latin logarithmus, coined by Scottish mathematician John Napier from Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos, “ratio, proportion”) and ἀριθμός (arithmós, “number”). Napier set a geometric progression (a sequence of equal ratios) against an arithmetic progression (a sequence of equal differences), so that the logarithm of a number counts the ratios separating it from a starting value, turning multiplication into addition.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)