determinant: Meaning and Definition of

de•ter•mi•nant

1. a determining agent or factor.
2. an algebraic expression of the sum of products of elements, each with an appropriate algebraic sign, usually written in a square array and used in the solution of systems of linear equations.
3. Also calledany site on an antigen molecule at which an antibody can bind, the chemical structure of the site determining the specific combining antibody.
4. a gene.