/koh"fak'teuhr/ , n.
1. Biochem. any of various organic or inorganic substances necessary to the function of an enzyme.
2. Math.
a. a prefactor or postfactor.
b. the product of the minor of a given element of a matrix times -1 raised to the power of the sum of the indices of the row and column crossed out in forming the minor.
[ 1935-40; CO- + FACTOR ]