quadrant

[ kwod-ruhnt ]
See synonyms for quadrant on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a quarter of a circle; an arc of 90°.

  2. the area included between such an arc and two radii drawn one to each extremity.

  1. something shaped like a quarter of a circle, as a part of a machine.

  2. Geometry, Astronomy. one of the four parts into which a plane, as the face of a heavenly body, is divided by two perpendicular lines, numbered counterclockwise from upper right: the first quadrant of the moon.

  3. an instrument, usually containing a graduated arc of 90°, used in astronomy, navigation, etc., for measuring altitudes.

  4. Astrology. one of the four quarters of the horoscope: determined by the ascendant, nadir, descendant, and midheaven and numbered counterclockwise from the ascendant.

  5. Furniture. one of two metal sliding pieces, of quadrant form, used to support the fall front of a desk from above.

Origin of quadrant

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin quadrant- (stem of quadrāns) fourth part

Other words from quadrant

  • quad·ran·tal [kwo-dran-tl], /kwɒˈdræn tl/, adjective
  • quad·rant·like, adjective

Words Nearby quadrant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use quadrant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quadrant

quadrant

/ (ˈkwɒdrənt) /


noun
  1. geometry

    • a quarter of the circumference of a circle

    • the area enclosed by two perpendicular radii of a circle and its circumference

    • any of the four sections into which a plane is divided by two coordinate axes

  2. a piece of a mechanism in the form of a quarter circle, esp one used as a cam or a gear sector

  1. an instrument formerly used in astronomy and navigation for measuring the altitudes of stars, consisting of a graduated arc of 90° and a sighting mechanism attached to a movable arm

Origin of quadrant

1
C14: from Latin quadrāns a quarter

Derived forms of quadrant

  • quadrantal (kwɒˈdræntəl), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for quadrant

quadrant

[ kwŏdrənt ]


  1. An arc equal to one quarter of the circumference of a circle; an arc of 90°.

  2. Any of the four regions into which a plane is divided by the axes of a Cartesian coordinate system. The quadrants are numbered counterclockwise one through four, beginning with the quadrant in which both the x- and y-coordinates are positive (usually the upper right quadrant).

  1. A navigational instrument similar to a sextant but with an arc of 90° rather than 60°. See more at sextant.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.