moment

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A brief, indefinite interval of time.
2. n. A specific point in time, especially the present time: He is not here at the moment.
3. n. A particular period of importance, influence, or significance in a series of events or developments: a great moment in history; waiting for her big moment.
4. n. Outstanding significance or value; importance: a discovery of great moment.
5. n. A brief period of time that is characterized by a quality, such as excellence, suitability, or distinction: a lackluster performance that nevertheless had its moments.
6. n. Philosophy An essential or constituent element, as of a complex idea.
7. n. Philosophy A phase or an aspect of a logically developing process.
8. n. Physics The product of a quantity and its perpendicular distance from a reference point.
9. n. Physics The tendency to cause rotation about a point or an axis.
10. n. Statistics The expected value of a positive integral power of a random variable. The first moment is the mean of the distribution.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A space of time incalculably or indefinitely small. Time too brief for reckoning; an instant: as, I have but a moment to spare; wait a moment.
2. n. Precise point of time; exact or very instant, as of a motion, action, or occurrence: as, at that moment he expired.
3. n. A brief interval; the passing time: in the phrase for aor the moment: as, for a moment he was at a loss.
4. n. The present time; especially, with the definite article, the precise instant of opportunity.
5. n. Momentum; impetus; moving cause; impelling force or occasion.
6. n. Notable purport; weight or value; importance; consequence: as, his opinions are of little moment to us.
7. n. A forcible or convincing plea.
8. n. An essential or constituent element; an important factor.
9. n. In mathematics, an increment or decrement; an infinitesimal change in a varying quantity.
10. n. In mech., in general, effect; avail. The phrases in which it appears have exact meanings, though the precise sense in which the word itself is taken in these phrases is not always clear.
11. n. With reference to a line or axis, the product of the component of the force in the plane perpendicular to the line by the distance of that component from that line.
12. To order or arrange to a moment.
13. n. In statistics, influence in determining the position of the center or of the axis of distribution, as of population or resources.

Wiktionary

1. n. A brief, unspecified amount of time.
2. n. The smallest portion of time; an instant.
3. n. Weight or importance.
4. n. physics, mechanics The turning effect of a force applied to a rotational system at a distance from the axis of rotation. Also called moment of force.
5. n. historical A definite period of time, specifically one-tenth of a point, or one-fortieth or one-fiftieth of an hour.
6. n. informal A petit mal episode; such a spell.
7. n. colloquial A fit, a short-duration tantrum, a hissy.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A minute portion of time; a point of time; an instant.
2. n. Impulsive power; force; momentum.
3. n. Importance, as in influence or effect; consequence; weight or value; consideration.
4. n. An essential element; a deciding point, fact, or consideration; an essential or influential circumstance.
5. n. (Math.), obsolete An infinitesimal change in a varying quantity; an increment or decrement.
6. n. (Mech.) Tendency, or measure of tendency, to produce motion, esp. motion about a fixed point or axis.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. at this time
2. n. a turning force produced by an object acting at a distance (or a measure of that force)
3. n. a particular point in time
4. n. having important effects or influence
5. n. the n-th moment of a distribution is the expected value of the n-th power of the deviations from a fixed value
6. n. an indefinitely short time