quaternion

[ kwuh-tur-nee-uh n ]

/ kwəˈtɜr ni ən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quaternion ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a group or set of four persons or things.

Bookbinding. four gathered sheets folded in two for binding together.

Mathematics.

an expression of the form a + bi + cj + dk, where a, b, c, and d are real numbers; i2 = j2 = k2 = −1; and ij = −ji = k, jk = −kj = i, and ki = −ik = j.
a quantity or operator expressed as the sum of a real number and three complex numbers, equivalent to the quotient of two vectors. The field of quaternions is not commutative under multiplication.

Nearby words

Origin of quaternion

1350–1400; Middle English quaternioun < Late Latin quaterniōn- (stem of quaterniō), equivalent to Latin quatern(ī) four at a time + -iōn- -ion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quaternion

Four soldiers formed a quaternion; four quaternions therefore were sixteen men, who were especially appointed to guard Peter.
"Granny's Chapters"|Lady Mary Ross
The quaternion was a gathering of four sheets of vellum, each folded once; thus forming sixteen pages.
Illuminated Manuscripts in Classical and Mediaeval Times|J. Henry Middleton
These last words are incorrect in fact, for οὐκ ἄνθρωπος does not appear in the first Quaternion, but is reserved for the second.
Aristotle|George Grote
His days are thus described: from dawn to the third hour he copied rapidly, filling a (quaternion) each day.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume I of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor

William Hare, the second of our quaternion, was also a native of Ireland, having been born in the neighbourhood of Londonderry.
The Court of Cacus|Alexander Leighton

British Dictionary definitions for quaternion

quaternion

/ (kwəˈtɜːnɪən) /

noun

maths a generalized complex number consisting of four components, x = x 0 + x 1 i + x 2 j + x 3 k, where x, x 0 … x 3 are real numbers and i² = j² = k² = –1, ij = –ji = k, etc

another word for quaternary (def. 5)

Word Origin for quaternion

C14: from Late Latin quaterniōn, from Latin quaternī four at a time

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

Science definitions for quaternion

quaternion

[ kwə-tûr′nē-ən ]

Any number of the form a + bi + cj + dk where a, b, c, and d are real numbers, ij = k, i2 = j2 = -1, and ij = -ji. Under addition and multiplication, quaternions have all the properties of a field, except that multiplication is not commutative.

quaternion

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of quaternion

Examples from the Web for quaternion

quaternion

noun

Word Origin for quaternion

quaternion