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Determinant vs Determinate - What's the difference?

determinant | determinate |

In biology terms the difference between determinant and determinate

is that determinant is a substance that causes a cell to adopt a particular fate while determinate is of growth: ending once a genetically predetermined structure has formed.

As nouns the difference between determinant and determinate

is that determinant is a determining factor; an element that determines the nature of something while determinate is a single state of a particular determinable attribute.

As adjectives the difference between determinant and determinate

is that determinant is serving to determine or limit; determinative while determinate is distinct, clearly defined.

As a verb determinate is

to bring to an end; to determine.

determinant

English

Noun

(wikipedia determinant) (en noun)
  • A determining factor; an element that determines the nature of something
  • (linear algebra) The unique scalar function over square matrices which is distributive over matrix multiplication, multilinear in the rows and columns, and takes the value of 1 for the unit matrix. Abbreviation: det
  • (biology) A substance that causes a cell to adopt a particular fate.
  • See also

    * permanent * singular * Mathworld article on determinants

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Serving to determine or limit; determinative.
  • Anagrams

    * ----

    determinate

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Distinct, clearly defined.
  • * Dryden
  • Quantity of words and a determinate number of feet.
  • Fixed, set, unvarying.
  • * 1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. Bible , Acts II:
  • hym have ye taken by the hondes of unrightewes persones, after he was delivered by the determinat counsell and foreknowledge of God, and have crucified and slayne hym [...].
  • (biology) Of growth: ending once a genetically predetermined structure has formed.
  • conclusive; decisive; positive
  • * Bible, Acts ii. 23
  • The determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.
  • (obsolete) Determined or resolved upon.
  • * Shakespeare
  • My determinate voyage.
  • Of determined purpose; resolute.
  • * Sir Philip Sidney
  • More determinate to do than skillful how to do.

    Antonyms

    * (limited) indeterminate, nondeterminate * (biology) indeterminate

    Derived terms

    * determinateness

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (philosophy) A single state of a particular determinable attribute.
  • * {{quote-journal, 2007, date=September 5, David Denby, Generating possibilities, Philosophical Studies, url=, doi=10.1007/s11098-007-9159-z, volume=141, issue=2, pages=
  • , passage=And since being negatively-charged and being positively-charged are determinates of the same determinable, [D5] will not permit us to infer worlds where anything negatively-charged is also positively-charged. }}

    Verb

    (determinat)
  • (obsolete) To bring to an end; to determine.
  • * Shakespeare
  • The sly, slow hours shall not determinate / The dateless limit of thy dear exile.
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