The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Factor \Fac"tor\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Factored (-t[e^]rd); p.
   pr. & vb. n. Factoring.] (Mach.)
   To resolve (a quantity) into its factors.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Factor \Fac"tor\, n. [L. factor a doer: cf. F. facteur a factor.
   See Fact.]
   1. (Law) One who transacts business for another; an agent; a
      substitute; especially, a mercantile agent who buys and
      sells goods and transacts business for others in
      commission; a commission merchant or consignee. He may be
      a home factor or a foreign factor. He may buy and sell in
      his own name, and he is intrusted with the possession and
      control of the goods; and in these respects he differs
      from a broker. --Story. --Wharton.
      [1913 Webster]

            My factor sends me word, a merchant's fled
            That owes me for a hundred tun of wine. --Marlowe.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A steward or bailiff of an estate. [Scot.] --Sir W. Scott.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Math.) One of the elements or quantities which, when
      multiplied together, form a product.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. One of the elements, circumstances, or influences which
      contribute to produce a result; a constituent; a
      contributory cause.
      [1913 Webster +PJC]

            The materal and dynamical factors of nutrition. --H.
                                                  Spencer.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

factor
    n 1: anything that contributes causally to a result; "a number
         of factors determined the outcome"
    2: an abstract part of something; "jealousy was a component of
       his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition
       are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a
       sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an
       effective ingredient of a speech" [syn: component,
       constituent, element, factor, ingredient]
    3: one of two or more integers that can be exactly divided into
       another integer; "what are the 4 factors of 6?" [syn:
       divisor, factor]
    4: a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a
       commission [syn: agent, factor, broker]
    5: any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when
       multiplied together
    6: an independent variable in statistics
    7: (genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a
       polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and
       following the coding DNA as well as introns between the
       exons; it is considered a unit of heredity; "genes were
       formerly called factors" [syn: gene, cistron, factor]
    v 1: resolve into factors; "a quantum computer can factor the
         number 15" [syn: factor, factor in, factor out]
    2: be a contributing factor; "make things factor into a
       company's profitability"
    3: consider as relevant when making a decision; "You must factor
       in the recent developments" [syn: factor, factor in,
       factor out]

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 January 2023):

factor

   A quantity which is multiplied by another quantity.

   See also divisor.

   [Jargon File]


The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):

factor
 n.

    See coefficient of X.