Sentence:  Using this definition, we derive the basic properties of a <WSD>determinant</WSD> that are useful in its evaluation. In particular, it is shown how the calculation of a <WSD>determinant</WSD> can be reduced to the calculation of <WSD>determinants</WSD> of lower order. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A scalar that encodes certain characteristics of a given transformation matrix; the unique scalar function over square matrices which is distributive over matrix multiplication, multilinear in the rows and columns, and takes the value 1 for the unit matrix; "abbreviated as:" det.