quadrant
[ kwod-ruhnt ]
/ ˈkwɒd rənt /
Save This Word!
noun
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Origin of quadrant
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin quadrant- (stem of quadrāns) fourth part
OTHER WORDS FROM quadrant
quad·ran·tal [kwo-dran-tl], /kwɒˈdræn tl/, adjectivequad·rant·like, adjectiveWords nearby quadrant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for quadrant
British Dictionary definitions for quadrant
quadrant
/ (ˈkwɒdrənt) /
noun
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
a piece of a mechanism in the form of a quarter circle, esp one used as a cam or a gear sector
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
Derived forms of quadrant
quadrantal (kwɒˈdræntəl), adjectiveWord Origin for quadrant
C14: from Latin quadrāns a quarter
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
Medical definitions for quadrant
quadrant
[ kwŏd′rənt ]
n.
A circular arc of 90 degrees; one fourth of the circumference of a circle.
A quarter portion of any roughly circular anatomical area such as the abdomen, measuring along imaginary axes at right angles to each other.
Other words from quadrant
quad•ran′tic (kwŏ-drăn′tĭk) adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for quadrant
quadrant
[ kwŏd′rənt ]
An arc equal to one quarter of the circumference of a circle; an arc of 90°.
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).
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.