sexagesimal

American  

[sek-suh-jes-uh-muhl] / ˌsɛk səˈdʒɛs ə məl /

adjective

1. pertaining to or based upon the number 60.

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noun

1. a fraction whose denominator is 60 or a power of 60.

sexagesimal British  

/ ˌsɛksəˈdʒɛsɪməl /

adjective

1. relating to or based on the number 60

   sexagesimal measurement of angles

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noun

1. a fraction in which the denominator is some power of 60; a sixtieth

Etymology

Origin of sexagesimal

From the Medieval Latin word sexāgēsimālis, dating back to 1675–85. See Sexagesima, -al ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sexagesimal

That same astronomical thinking led them to patch the ancient Babylonian method of counting by 60, the sexagesimal system, onto the hour.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2022

Minutes and seconds derive from the sexagesimal partitions of the degree introduced by Babylonian astronomers.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 31, 2011

For astronomical purposes the Greeks adopted a sexagesimal number system and even divided hours into 60 minutes, and minutes into 60 seconds.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Wherever the sexagesimal system of notation prevailed we may see an evidence of the influence of Babylonian culture.

From Babylonians and Assyrians, Life and Customs by A. H. (Archibald Henry) Sayce

We have sixty divisions on the dials of our watches simply because the Greek astronomer Hipparchus, who lived in the second century B.C., accepted the Babylonian system of reckoning time, that system being sexagesimal.

From The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, November 1879 by Various

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