moment Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a particular point in time
    instant; second; minute.
    • the moment he arrived the party began
  2. noun an indefinitely short time
    bit; mo; minute; second.
    • wait just a moment
    • in a mo
    • it only takes a minute
    • in just a bit
  3. noun at this time
    here and now; present moment.
    • the disappointments of the here and now
    • she is studying at the moment
  4. noun having important effects or influence
    consequence; import.
    • decisions of great consequence are made by the president himself
    • virtue is of more moment than security
    • that result is of no consequence
  5. noun a turning force produced by an object acting at a distance (or a measure of that force)
  6. noun the n-th moment of a distribution is the expected value of the n-th power of the deviations from a fixed value

WordNet

Mo"ment noun
Etymology
F. moment, L. momentum, for movimentum movement, motion, moment, fr. movere to move. See Move, and cf. Momentum, Movement.
Definitions
  1. A minute portion of time; a point of time; an instant; as, at thet very moment.
    In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. 1 Cor. xv. 52.
  2. Impulsive power; force; momentum.
    The moments or quantities of motion in bodies. Berkley.
    Touch, with lightest moment of impulse, His free will. Milton.
  3. Importance, as in influence or effect; consequence; weight or value; consideration.
    Matters of great moment. Shak.
    It is an abstruse speculation, but also of far less moment and consequence of us than the others. Bentley.
  4. An essential element; a deciding point, fact, or consideration; an essential or influential circumstance.
  5. (Math.) An infinitesimal change in a varying quantity; an increment or decrement. Obs.
  6. (Mech.) Tendency, or measure of tendency, to produce motion, esp. motion about a fixed point or axis. Syn. -- Instant; twinkling; consequence; weight; force; value; consideration; signification; avail.

Webster 1913