decrement
Speech parts
1. decrement - Noun
2. decrement - Verb
Meaning
The state of becoming gradually less; decrease; diminution; waste; loss.
The quantity lost by gradual diminution or waste; -- opposed to increment.
A name given by Hauy to the successive diminution of the layers of molecules, applied to the faces of the primitive form, by which he supposed the secondary forms to be produced.
The quantity by which a variable is diminished.
Source: Webster's dictionarySynonyms
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Examples
The effects of 6 months of total social isolation were so devastating and debilitating that we had assumed initially that 12 months of isolation would not produce any additional decrement. This assumption proved to be false; 12 months of isolation almost obliterated the animals socially.
B also introduced the increment and decrement operators (++ and --); Their prefix or postfix position determines whether the value is taken prior or post alteration of the operand.
For example, the subprogram in Euclid's algorithm to compute the remainder would execute much faster if the programmer had a " modulus " instruction available rather than just subtraction (or worse: just Minsky's "decrement").
In fact, two of the three methods that all COM objects must provide (in the IUnknown interface) increment or decrement the reference count.
Non-isolated systems may lose entropy, provided their environment's entropy increases by at least that decrement.
That is to say, the material must be able to be heated and cooled indefinitely often by the same increment and decrement of heat, and still return to its original pressure, volume and temperature every time.