I. ˈfak-tər noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French facteur, from Latin factor doer, from facere
Date: 15th century
1. : one who acts or transacts business for another: as
a. : broker 1b
b. : one that lends money to producers and dealers (as on the security of accounts receivable)
2.
a.
(1) : one that actively contributes to the production of a result : ingredient
price wasn't a factor in the decision
(2) : a substance that functions in or promotes the function of a particular physiological process or bodily system
b. : a good or service used in the process of production
3. : gene
4.
a. : any of the numbers or symbols in mathematics that when multiplied together form a product ; also : a number or symbol that divides another number or symbol
b. : a quantity by which a given quantity is multiplied or divided in order to indicate a difference in measurement
costs increased by a factor of 10
• fac·tor·ship -ˌship noun
II. verb
( fac·tored ; fac·tor·ing -t(ə-)riŋ)
Date: 1621
intransitive verb
: to work as a factor
transitive verb
1. : to resolve into factors
2.
a. : to include or admit as a factor — used with in or into
factor inflation into our calculations
b. : to exclude as a factor — used with out
• fac·tor·able -t(ə-)rə-bəl adjective