# constant

Pronunciation: say "KON-stuhnt" US /ˈkɑnstənt/, UK /ˈkɒnstənt/

## Adjective

1. Occurring repeatedly and persistently over a period of time.
   - Simple: Happening again and again without stopping for long.
   - _The constant interruptions made it hard to finish the report._
   - _Living near the airport means putting up with constant aircraft noise._
2. Remaining unchanged through time or across space; permanent.
   - Simple: Staying the same all the time and never changing.
   - _The machine maintains a constant pressure throughout the process._
   - _At this depth, the ocean temperature is nearly constant._
5. Steady and faithful in purpose, action, or feeling.
   - Simple: Staying loyal and steady in your feelings or actions.
   - _A constant ally, she never wavered in her backing for the cause._
   - _He remained constant in his devotion despite years of separation._

## Noun

3. In mathematics and science, a quantity or value that stays fixed throughout a calculation, discussion, or experiment.
   - Simple: In math and science, a number or amount that stays the same and does not change.
   - _The speed of light appears as a constant in many physics equations._
   - _When solving for x, treat the other terms as constants._
4. Something that stays permanent or unchanging amid surrounding change.
   - Simple: Something that does not change while other things around it do.
   - _Amid the chaos of the newsroom, his calm was the one constant._
   - _Their friendship was a constant through decades of upheaval._
6. A named identifier bound to a value that cannot change, used to make source code more readable.
   - Simple: A name in a program that always points to the same value.
   - _Defining the maximum size as a constant prevents accidental changes later._
   - _Good programmers give each constant a clear, descriptive name._

## Adjective

7. Firm and solid in form; not fluid. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Firm and solid in shape, not runny or liquid.
8. Consistent and free from contradiction; logical. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Making sense all the way through, with no part going against another.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Bounded above by a fixed value; not growing with the size of the input.

## Origin

Latin cōnstāre meaning "to stand firm" gave constans (accusative constantem), which passed through Old French constant into Middle English constant. It took the place of singal, the native Old English word.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/constant (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).