Definition of "discriminant" []

• An expression used to distinguish or separate other expressions in a quantity or equation. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "If the discriminant is a positive square integer, there will be two rational factors."
• "If the discriminant is a positive non-square integer, there will be two irrational factors."
• "If the discriminant is a negative number, there will be two factors in the form of a complex conjugate."