factor-(word root) maker, doerExamples of words with the root factor-: benefactorAbused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embreefac·tor (f?k?t?r)n.1. One that actively contributes to an accomplishment, result, or process: “Surprise is the greatest factor in war” (Tom Clancy). See Synonyms at element.2. a. One who acts for someone else; an agent.b. One who purchases accounts receivable at a discount.3. Mathematics One of two or more quantities that divides a given quantity without a remainder. For example, 2 and 3 are factors of 6; a and b are factors of ab.4. A quantity by which a stated quantity is multiplied or divided, so as to indicate an increase or decrease in a measurement: The rate increased by a factor of ten.5. A gene. No longer in technical usage.6. Physiology A substance that functions in a specific biochemical reaction or bodily process, such as blood coagulation.v. fac·tored, fac·tor·ing, fac·tors tr.v. To determine or indicate explicitly the factors of: If you factor 70, you get 2, 5, and 7.intr.v. To engage in purchasing accounts receivable at a discount.Phrasal Verb: factor in To figure in: factored vacations in when preparing the schedule.[Middle English factour, perpetrator, agent, from Old French facteur, from Latin factor, maker, from facere, to make; see dh?- in Indo-European roots.]fac?tor·a·ble adj.fac?tor·ship? n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.factor (?fækt?) n1. an element or cause that contributes to a result2. (Mathematics) maths a. one of two or more integers or polynomials whose product is a given integer or polynomial: 2 and 3 are factors of 6. b. an integer or polynomial that can be exactly divided into another integer or polynomial: 1, 2, 3, and 6 are all factors of 6. 3. (Medicine) (foll by identifying numeral) med any of several substances that participate in the clotting of blood: factor VIII. 4. (Commerce) a person who acts on another’s behalf, esp one who transacts business for another5. (Banking & Finance) commerce a business that makes loans in return for or on security of trade debts6. (Genetics) former name for a gene7. (Law) commercial law a person to whom goods are consigned for sale and who is paid a factorage8. (Law) (in Scotland) the manager of an estatevb (Commerce) (intr) to engage in the business of a factor[C15: from Latin: one who acts, from facere to do] ?factorable adj ?factora?bility n ?factor?ship nUsage: Factor (sense 1) should only be used to refer to something which contributes to a result. It should not be used to refer to a part of something such as a plan or arrangement; instead a word such as component or element should be usedCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014fac?tor (?fæk t?r) n. 1. one of the elements contributing to a particular result or situation. 2. one of two or more numbers, algebraic expressions, or the like, that when multiplied together produce a given product; a divisor: 6 and 3 are factors of 18. 3. any of certain substances necessary to a biochemical or physiological process, esp. those whose exact nature and function are unknown. 4. a business organization that lends money on accounts receivable or buys and collects accounts receivable. 5. an agent or merchant earning a commission by selling goods belonging to others. 6. a person or business organization that finances another’s business. v.t. 7. to express (a mathematical quantity) as a product of two or more quantities of like kind, as 30 = 2 ? 3 ? 5, or x2?y2=(x + y) (x ? y). 8. factor in or into, to include as a contributing element. [1400?50; Middle English facto(u)r