Talk:Mantissa

I'd like to see a note on the etymology of this word. If anyone has time, it'd be appreciated. 66.92.15.102 20:42, 22 September 2005 (UTC)


 * "mantissa
 * decimal part of a logarithm, 1641, from L. mantisa "a worthless addition, makeweight," probably from a Gaulish word introduced into L. via Etruscan (cf. O.Ir. meit, Welsh maint "size"). " from etymonline.com. --86.135.179.53 14:56, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

The floating point entry complains about the use of the word for the fractional part ( argument is good), but it is in general use in the computer industry. What to do?Charles Esson 11:50, 6 April 2007 (UTC)