[mo.ment] n [ME, fr. MF, fr. L momentum movement, particle sufficient to turn the scales, moment, fr. movere to move] (14c) 1 a: a minute portion or point of time: instant b: a comparatively brief period of time
2. a: present time "at the ~ she is working on a novel" b: a time of excellence or conspicuousness "he has his ~s"
3: importance in influence or effect "a matter of great ~"
4. obs: a cause or motive of action
5: a stage in historical or logical development
6. a: tendency or measure of tendency to produce motion esp. about a point or axis b: the product of quantity (as a force) and the distance to a particular axis or point
7. a: the mean of the nth powers of the deviations of the observed values in a set of statistical data from a fixed value b: the expected value of a power of the deviation of a random variable from a fixed value syn see importance