exponent

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ɪkˈspoʊnənt/ UK /ɪkˈspəʊnənt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a person who supports an idea, or a mathematical power indicator

She became a leading exponent of modern dance.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person who supports an... advocate proponent champion supporter spokesperson interpreter index

Opposites

opponent critic detractor

Word family

Derived forms exponentialexponentially

Related forms expound expositionexpone

Etymology

From Latin exponentem (nominative exponens), present participle of exponere ('to set forth, expound'), from ex- ('out') + ponere ('to put, place').

exponere Latin ponere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# exponent

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɪkˈspoʊnənt/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪkˈspəʊnənt/

## Meanings
1. a person who supports an idea, or a mathematical power indicator

## Examples
- She became a leading exponent of modern dance.

## Synonyms
- advocate
- proponent
- champion
- supporter
- spokesperson
- interpreter
- index

## Antonyms
- opponent
- critic
- detractor

## Derived Forms
- exponential
- exponentially

## Related Forms
- expound
- exposition
- expone

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: exponere
- Root: ponere - to put

## Etymology
From Latin exponentem (nominative exponens), present participle of exponere ('to set forth, expound'), from ex- ('out') + ponere ('to put, place').

## AI Etymology
Exponent comes from Latin exponentem (nominative exponens), present participle of exponere ('to set forth, expound'), from ex- ('out') + ponere ('to put, place'). Morphologically, the form is compositional: ex- marks part of the visible structure, while the remaining element supplies the lexical base. In present use, it is used as a noun meaning "a person who supports an idea, or a mathematical power indicator", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes derivatives such as exponential and exponentially and related forms such as expound, exposition, and expone, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin exponere and Latin ponere, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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