English Explanatory Dictionary

idempotence

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A quality of an action such that repetitions of the action have no further effect on the outcome; the state of being idempotent.

Pronunciation

/ˌɪdɛmˈpəʊtəns/ /ˈaɪdəmˌpoʊtəns/

Word forms

idempotence idempotency

Etymology

Latin roots, idem (“same”) + potence (“the quality of having power”) – literally, “the quality of having the same power”. Coined by 19th century American mathematician Benjamin Peirce in context of algebra.

Related words

idempotent impotence nilpotence nilpotent nullipotence nullipotent omnipotence potence potency potential unipotence unipotent fixed point
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