In math, a small number written above and to the right of another number to show how many times it is multiplied by itself. More generally, a person who strongly supports and represents a particular idea, activity, or style.
From Latin *exponens* ‘one who sets forth’, from *exponere* ‘to put out, explain’. The mathematical use comes from the idea of a number ‘setting forth’ the power of another.
Mathematically, an exponent is like a shortcut for repeated multiplication: 2³ is 2×2×2. In language, calling someone an ‘exponent of jazz’ means they ‘put jazz out there’ for the world to see—same root idea, different stage.
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