Sextans

American

[sek-stuhnz] / ˈsɛk stənz /

noun

Astronomy. the Sextant, an equatorial constellation between Hydra and Leo.
(lowercase) a bronze coin of ancient Rome, the sixth part of an as, issued during the period of the Republic.

Sextans British

/ ˈsɛkstənz /

noun

a faint constellation lying on the celestial equator close to Leo and Hydra

"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

Etymology

Origin of Sextans

< Latin sextāns; see sextant

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.

See Examples For:

Sextans

The map covers a region of sky about 2.5 times the size of the full Moon, located in the constellation Sextans.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 3, 2026

In the Sextans constellation 4,500 light-years away, a dead, magnetic star rotates 592 times in a second, emanating electromagnetic beams like an oscillating lighthouse out into the universe.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2023

Sextans, seks′tanz, n. an ancient Roman bronze coin, worth one-sixth of the as.—adjs.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

We may just glance at two double stars in the small constellation of Sextans, situated under Leo.

From Pleasures of the telescope An Illustrated Guide for Amateur Astronomers and a Popular Description of the Chief Wonders of the Heavens for General Readers by Garrett Putman Serviss

The little asterism Sextans, the Sextant, lies in the region between Regulus and Alphard.

From A Field Book of the Stars by William Tyler Olcott

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023