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adj. 1. Passing with time; transitory: "the transient beauty of youth" (Lydia M. Child). 2. Remaining in a place only a brief time: transient laborers. 3. Physics Decaying with time, especially as a simple exponential function of time. n. 1. One that is transient, especially a hotel guest or boarder who stays for only a brief time. 2. Physics A transient phenomenon or property, especially a transient electric current. [Alteration of Latin trānsiēns, trānseunt-, present participle of trānsīre, to go over : trāns-, over; see TRANS- + īre, to go; see ei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] transi·ent·ly adv. |
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