What is "nilpotent"

a. (context mathematics English) Describing an element of a ring, for which there exists some positive integer n such that xⁿ = 0.

adj. equal to zero when raised to a certain power

In mathematics, an element, x, of a ring, R, is called nilpotent if there exists some positive integer, n, such that x = 0.

The term was introduced by Benjamin Peirce in the context of his work on the classification of algebras.