cofactor

From co- + factor.

cofactor (plural cofactors)

1. A contributing factor.
   • 1985 April 27, Christine Guilfoy, “HTLV-3 Test Availability Elicits Mixed Response”, in Gay Community News, page 3:

     Although many believe HTLV-III plays a primary role in the development of AIDS, it is still unresolved how the virus works and what cofactors, if any, play a role.

2. (biochemistry) A substance, especially a coenzyme or a metal, that must be present for an enzyme to function.
3. (biochemistry) A molecule that binds to and regulates the activity of a protein.
4. (mathematics) The result of a number being divided by one of its factors.
5. (mathematics, linear algebra, of a matrix) The signed determinant of the submatrix produced by removing the row and column containing a specified element; primarily used in the recursive definition and calculation of the determinant of a matrix.

• (determinant of a submatrix): minor (unsigned)

• Cofactor on Wolfram MathWorld

cofactor m (plural cofactores)

1. (biochemistry) cofactor

• “cofactor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025