infinity

[in-fin-i-tee] /ɪnˈfɪn ɪ ti/
noun, plural infinities.
1.
the quality or state of being infinite.
2.
something that is infinite.
3.
infinite space, time, or quantity.
4.
an infinite extent, amount, or number.
5.
an indefinitely great amount or number.
6.
Mathematics.
  1. the assumed limit of a sequence, series, etc., that increases without bound.
  2. infinite distance or an infinitely distant part of space.
7.
Photography.
  1. a distance between a subject and the camera so great that rays of light reflected from the subject may be regarded as parallel.
  2. a distance setting of the camera lens beyond which everything is in focus.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English infinite < Latin infīnitās, equivalent to in- in-3 + fīni(s) boundary (see finish) + -tās -ty2
Can be confused
affinity, infinity.
Examples from the web for infinity
  • Beyond the infinity pool at this house are views of dunes and the ocean.
  • For a brief but incandescent moment, a blip in the infinity of time, the room is perfection itself.
  • They're small, but when computing an average, only a little infinity is needed to take the average all the way.
  • infinity has no beginning or end, no middle or edge.
  • He also added the earliest concepts of relativity and the concept of infinity.
  • It's basically the only way you can make the equations consistent and avoid infinity.
  • Clearly the momentum effect cannot last for ever or share prices would head for infinity.
  • To understand the immensity of scale and the infinity of time helps us find footing in the slippery chaos of the world.
  • The idea of infinity having various sizes sound ridicules.
  • We lean our heads back to find that the surrounding hills form an immense aperture to infinity.
British Dictionary definitions for infinity

infinity

/ɪnˈfɪnɪtɪ/
noun (pl) -ties
1.
the state or quality of being infinite
2.
endless time, space, or quantity
3.
an infinitely or indefinitely great number or amount
4.
(optics, photog) a point that is far enough away from a lens, mirror, etc, for the light emitted by it to fall in parallel rays on the surface of the lens, etc
5.
(physics) a dimension or quantity of sufficient size to be unaffected by finite variations
6.
(maths) the concept of a value greater than any finite numerical value
7.
a distant ideal point at which two parallel lines are assumed to meet
Symbol (for senses 4–7) ∞
Word Origin and History for infinity
n.

late 14c., from Old French infinité "infinity; large number or quantity" (13c.), from Latin infinitatem (nominative infinitas) "boundlessness, endlessness," from infinitus boundless, unlimited" (see infinite). Infinitas was used as a loan-translation of Greek apeiria "infinity," from apeiros "endless."

infinity in Science
infinity
  (ĭn-fĭn'ĭ-tē)   
A space, extent of time, or quantity that has no limit.
infinity in Technology

1. The size of something infinite.
Using the word in the context of sets is sloppy, since different infinite sets aren't necessarily the same size cardinality as each other.
See also aleph 0
2. The largest value that can be represented in a particular type of variable (register, memory location, data type, whatever).
See also minus infinity.
[Jargon File]
(1994-11-18)