What mean expondantation

Question

I know that because the expondantation 2**5 is 32 but why what means expondation

Answer 1

'... on June 13, 1676 Newton wrote Oldenburg: " Since, algebraists write a^2, a^3, a^4, etc. for aa, aaa, aaaa, etc, so I write a^1/2, a^ 3/2 ... {for roots of numbers} and I write a^ -1, a^-2, a^-3, etc. for 1/a, 1/aa, 1/aaa, etc." In a later letter, Newton even used irrational exponents.'

From: http://www.pballew.net/arithm10.html#exponent

The very first paragraph discusses the word's origins.