parameter

Main Entry:: pa·ram·e·ter
Pronunciation:: \pə-ˈram-ə-tər\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: New Latin, from para- + Greek metron measure — more at measure
Date:: 1852

1 a: an arbitrary constant whose value characterizes a member of a system (as a family of curves) ; also : a quantity (as a mean or variance) that describes a statistical population b: an independent variable used to express the coordinates of a variable point and functions of them — compare parametric equation2: any of a set of physical properties whose values determine the characteristics or behavior of something <parameters of the atmosphere such as temperature, pressure, and density>3: something represented by a parameter : a characteristic element ; broadly : characteristic , element , factor <political dissent as a parameter of modern life>4: limit , boundary —usually used in plural <the parameters of science fiction>

— para·met·ric

\ˌpa-rə-ˈme-trik\ adjective

— para·met·ri·cal·ly

\-tri-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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