co ‧ ef ‧ fi ‧ cient /ˌkəʊəˈfɪʃ ə nt, ˌkəʊɪˈfɪʃ ə nt $ ˌkoʊ-/ BrE AmE noun [countable] technical
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Modern Latin ; Origin: coefficiens , from Latin co- ( ⇨ ↑ co- ) + efficiens ( , ↑ efficient ) ]
the number by which an unknown quantity is multiplied:
In 8pq, the coefficient of pq is 8.