Dictionary

logit en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈloʊd͡ʒɪt/ (US)
• /ˈlɒd͡ʒɪt/ (UK)
• /ˈlɑd͡ʒɪt/ (US)

Etymology

Blend of logistic + unit, by analogy with probit, coined by American statistician Joseph Berkson in 1944: “I use this term [logit] for ln p/q following Bliss, who called the analogous function which is linear on x for the normal curve ‘probit.’”

Meanings

1. The inverse of the sigmoid or logistic function used in mathematics, especially in statistics. The logit of a number p between 0 and 1 is given by the formula
   • The relation of the logit formula to the distribution of unobserved utility (as opposed to the characteristics of choice probabilities) was developed by Marley, as cited by Luce and Suppes (1965), who showed that the extreme value distribution leads to the logit formula. 2002, chapter 3, in Behavioral Models, UC Berkeley, archived from the original on 26 Apr 2022, page 38:
   • operatorname logit(p)= log (p/(1-p))= log (p)- log (1-p).!,
   • Improvements in computer speed and in our understanding of simulation methods have allowed the full power of mixed logits to be utilized. 2002, chapter 6, in Behavioral Models, UC Berkeley, archived from the original on 26 Apr 2024, page 138:
2. (informal, metonymically) A logistic regression, which applies such a mathematical function.

Forms

Relateds

bit · probit