A maximum likelihood estimator is a value of the parameter 
such that the likelihood
function is a maximum (Harris and Stocket 1998, p. 824).
Maximum Likelihood Estimator
See also
Likelihood FunctionExplore with Wolfram|Alpha
References
Harris, J. W. and Stocker, H. Handbook of Mathematics and Computational Science. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1998.Hoel, P. G. Introduction to Mathematical Statistics, 3rd ed. New York: Wiley, pp. 58-60, 1962.Referenced on Wolfram|Alpha
Maximum Likelihood EstimatorCite this as:
Weisstein, Eric W. "Maximum Likelihood Estimator." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/MaximumLikelihoodEstimator.html