gnomon
Americannoun
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the raised part of a sundial that casts the shadow; a style.
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an early astronomical instrument consisting of a vertical shaft, column, or the like, for determining the altitude of the sun or the latitude of a position by measuring the length of its shadow cast at noon.
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Geometry. (formerly) the part of a parallelogram that remains after a similar parallelogram has been taken away from one of its corners.
noun
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the stationary arm that projects the shadow on a sundial
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a geometric figure remaining after a parallelogram has been removed from one corner of a larger parallelogram
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gnomon
1540–50; < Latin gnōmōn pin of a sundial < Greek gnṓmōn literally, interpreter, discerner
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As visitors hover over the work, functioning as a vertical gnomon, their shadows fall onto one of the panels, depending on the time of day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2023
The pole serves as a gnomon, the part of a sundial that casts a shadow to denote time.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 17, 2020
A gnomon is the perpendicular part of a sundial, the part that casts a shadow.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 10, 2018
To-morrow he would have to draw a line from that mark straight to the gnomon, and when the shadow fell on that line it would be noon.
From Bevis The Story of a Boy by Jefferies, Richard
Its inscription, "Time waits for No Man," is an old punning device on the word gnomon.
From Old-Time Gardens Newly Set Forth by Earle, Alice Morse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
