moment: Meaning and Definition of

mo•ment

Pronunciation: (mō'munt), [key]
— n.
  1. an indefinitely short period of time; instant: I'll be with you in a moment.
  2. the present time or any other particular time (usually prec. by the): He is busy at the moment.
  3. a definite period or stage, as in a course of events; juncture: at this moment in history.
  4. importance or consequence: a decision of great moment.
  5. a particular time or period of success, excellence, fame, etc.: His big moment came in the final game.
  6. the mean or expected value of the product formed by multiplying together a set of one or more variates or variables each to a specified power.
    1. an aspect of a thing.
    2. Obs.an essential or constituent factor.
  7. moment of area; moment of mass.
    1. a tendency to produce motion, esp. about an axis.
    2. the product of a physical quantity and its directed distance from an axis:moment of area; moment of mass.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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