discriminant: Meaning and Definition of

dis•crim•i•nant

Pronunciation: (di-skrim'u-nunt), [key]
— n. Math.
  1. a relatively simple expression that determines some of the properties, as the nature of the roots, of a given equation or function.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.