/moh"meuhnt/ , n.
1. an indefinitely short period of time; instant: I'll be with you in a moment.
2. the present time or any other particular time (usually prec. by the ): He is busy at the moment.
3. a definite period or stage, as in a course of events; juncture: at this moment in history.
4. importance or consequence: a decision of great moment.
5. a particular time or period of success, excellence, fame, etc.: His big moment came in the final game.
6. Statistics. the mean or expected value of the product formed by multiplying together a set of one or more variates or variables each to a specified power.
7. Philos.
a. an aspect of a thing.
b. Obs. an essential or constituent factor.
8. Mech.
a. a tendency to produce motion, esp. about an axis.
b. the product of a physical quantity and its directed distance from an axis: moment of area; moment of mass.
[ 1300-50; ME momentum motion, cause of motion, hence, influence, importance, essential factor, moment of time, equiv. to mo- (var. s. of movere to MOVE) + -mentum -MENT ]
Syn. 1. second, jiffy, trice, flash, twinkling. See minute 1 . 4. significance, weight, gravity. See importance .