adjective
Zeno
ZEE-noh
adjective
1
Describing a process broken into an endless series of smaller and smaller steps within a fixed span of time or space.
"The debate turned into a zeno argument, splitting every point into ever-smaller objections that never actually finished."
"Mathematicians use zeno-style series to show how an infinite sum can still add up to a finite number."
How to Use Zeno
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUsed to describe something that keeps getting divided into smaller and smaller pieces forever, echoing the old philosophical puzzles about motion and infinity.
Memory tip
You will mostly meet this word in maths, physics, or philosophy contexts talking about infinite sequences.
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
Zeno's paradox
zeno-like sequence
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The debate turned into a _____ argument, splitting every point into ever-smaller objections that never actually finished.
Etymology
Named after Zeno of Elea, the ancient Greek philosopher famous for paradoxes about motion being divided into infinitely many steps.