▪ I. non-sigˈnificant, n.
[non- 3.]
A sign, symbol, or statement that is not significant.
| 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. 61 The Simple Cyphars with Changes, and intermixtures of Nulles, and Nonsignificants. 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 387 With many such non-significants, or mean-nothings. |
So non-sigˈnificance, non-sigˈnificative a.
| 1633 Ames Fresh Suit agst. Human Cerem. 84 He shall perceave some non significative to be the speciall to the Genus of a significative cere[mony]. 1846 Proc. Philol. Soc. III. 9 Respecting the significance or non-significance of those elements. |
▪ II. non-sigˈnificant, a.
[non- 3.]
Not significant. Also absol.
| 1902 S. H. Butcher Aristotle's Theory of Poetry & Fine Art (ed. 3) x. 377 In Plautus the number of names etymologically significant and appropriate largely preponderates over the non-significant. 1903 C. G. D. Roberts Barbara Ladd 219 His wife was a non-significant, abundant, gently acquiescent pudding of a woman. 1923 J. S. Huxley Ess. Biologist iv. 139 These differences may be biologically speaking non-significant, mere accidents of the primary difference. 1973 Jrnl. Genetic Psychol. CXXIII. 10 A nonsignificant correlation of -.10 was obtained. 1974 Nature 22 Nov. 272/2 Unobserved objects (black holes, dead white dwarfs and so on) must only make up a non-significant percentage of the galactic mass. |