resultant
UK[rɪˈzʌltənt]US[rɪˈzʌltənt]
adj
occurring or produced as a result or consequence of something.
n
a force, velocity, or other vector quantity which is equivalent to the combined effect of two or more component vectors acting at the same point.
Morpheme Breakdown
result
ant
result
ant
performing, promoting, or causing a specified action,
Etymology
The word "resultant" is a direct formation from the English noun "result," which itself originates from the Latin verb resultare, meaning "to spring back" or "to arise." The suffix "-ant," of Latin origin, is added to form an adjective indicating "having the quality of" or "performing the action of." Thus, the literal sense is "arising from" or "springing back as a consequence." In modern usage, this etymology is clearly preserved: as an adjective, it describes something that is an outcome, and as a noun in physics and mathematics, it denotes a single vector that "arises from" the combination of others, effectively the consequence of their combined action.
Analysis
Structure: result + ant
- result: From Latin resultare (to spring back, rebound, arise as a consequence), from re- (back) + saltare (to leap, jump).
- ant: A suffix forming adjectives (and nouns from them) meaning "performing, promoting, or causing a specified action," from Latin -ant-, present participial stem ending.
Examples
The resultant explosion could be heard for miles.
The resultant force is calculated by vector addition.
Poor sales and high costs led to the resultant closure of the factory.