n. Statistics
A probability distribution which arises when counting the number of occurrences of a rare event in a long series of trials.
[After Siméon Denis Poisson (1781-1840), French mathematician.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
