1. (

• parameter ,
• parametric_quantity

) a constant in the equation of a curve that can be varied to yield a family of similar curves ;

2. (

• parameter

) any factor that defines a system and determines (or limits) its performance ;

3. (

• argument ,
• parameter

) (computer science) a reference or value that is passed to a function, procedure, subroutine, command, or program ;

4. (

• parameter ,

) a quantity (such as the mean or variance) that characterizes a statistical population and that can be estimated by calculations from sample data ;