| 释义 |
▪ I. quadrant, n.1|ˈkwɒdrənt|
Also 5–6 -ent, 7 -an.
[ad. L. quadrans, quadrant- fourth part, quarter (spec. of an as, an acre, a foot, a pound, a sextarius, a day; cf. the senses below), f. quadr- four; see quadri-.]
†1. A quarter of a day; six hours. Obs.
1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. ix. ix. (1495) 354 A day conteynyth foure quadrantes, and a quadrant conteynyth syxe houres. a1628Sir J. Beaumont End his Majesty's 1st Yeare (R.), The sunne, who in his annuall circle takes A daye's full quadrant from th' ensuing yeere. 1646Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. 219 The intercalation of one day every fourth yeare, allowed for this quadrant, or 6 houres super⁓numerary.
†2.
a. The fourth part of a Roman as. Obs.
1533Bellenden Livy iii. vii. (1901) 270 Ilk man went to Valerius hous, and left ane quadrent in it, to caus him be the more richely buryit. 1601Holland Pliny II. 518 A small piece of brasse coin, although it be no more than a Quadrant. 1655Moufet & Bennet Health's Improv. 191 They were highly esteemed, being sold every Dishfull for fourscore Quadrants.
b. A farthing. (So med.L. quadrans, AF. quadrant.) Obs.
1609Skene Reg. Maj. 123 b (Burgh Lawes c. 40), Hee..sall giue ane quadrant (farding). Ibid. 26 b (Burgh Lawes c. 66), The maister..sall haue ane pennie for his Ouen; the twa servants ane pennie, and the boy ane quadrant.
c. attrib. in contemptuous sense. Obs.
1589Nashe Ded. to Greene's Menaphon (Arb.) 8 Our quadrant Crepundios, that spit ergo in the mouth of euerie one they meete.
†3. The fourth part of a sextarius or Roman pint. Obs. rare.
1601Holland Pliny I. 267 One of their shels ordinarily would containe 80 measures called Quadrants. 1688R. Holme Armoury iii. 339/1 Gill or Quadran, is 4 to a pint.
4. a. A quarter of a circle or circular body, viz. (a) an arc of a circle, forming one fourth of the circumference; (b) one fourth of the area of a circle, contained within two radii at right angles.
1571Digges Pantom. i. B iv, A Quadrant is the fourth part of a Circle, included with two Semidiameters. 1625N. Carpenter Geog. Del. i. vi. (1635) 123 A circle is diuided into foure quadrants. 1660Barrow Euclid vi. 33 cor. As the arch BC is to four quadrants, that is, the whole circumference. 1694Holder Disc. Trine (J.), In each quadrant of the circle of the ecliptick. 1727–41Chambers Cycl. s.v. Quarter-round, Any projecting moulding, whose contour is a perfect quadrant. 1812Woodhouse Astron. i. 6 PQ, Pq [are] quadrants containing 90 degrees. 1843Portlock Geol. 682 In each quadrant of the kiln, there is an opening. 1869Dunkin Midn. Sky 74 The north-western quadrant of the sky. 1900Brit. Med. Jrnl. (No. 2046) 622 An insignificant nebula in the lower-inner quadrant of the left cornea.
b. A thing having the form of a quarter-circle.
quadrant of altitude, a graduated strip of brass on an artificial globe, fixed at one end to some point of the meridian, round which it revolves, and extending round one fourth of the circumference.
1638Chilmead tr. Hues' Treat. Globes (1889) 33 Then fasten the quadrant of Altitude to the Vertical point. 1726tr. Gregory's Astron. I. 269 With the Quadrant of Altitude, find that Point of the Ecliptic which is elevated 12 Degrees above the Western Part of the Horizon. 1816J. Smith Panorama Sc. & Art II. 717 A sliding piece N, (much like the nut of the quadrant of altitude belonging to a common globe). 1825J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 114 The inclined shaft..working in the toothed quadrant Z, elevates or depresses the sluice. 1888Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 107 Quadrant, a small crescent-shaped piece of iron or steel used for the movement of the vibrating roller on a platen machine.
(i) Naut. A metal frame, shaped as the quadrant or sector of a circle, that is fixed to the rudder head or stock and to which the steering ropes or chains are attached.
1885H. Paasch From Keel to Truck 32/1 Tiller..quadrant, barre de gouvernail en quadrant. Quadrant als Ruderpinne. 1894Ibid. (ed. 2) 223 Steering-quadrant. 1923Glasgow Herald 3 Feb. 8/7 The modern helm, or its equivalent, the quadrant, is placed out-board. 1961Lloyd's Register of Shipping: Rules & Regs. Construction Steel Ships 57/1 Tillers and quadrants are to be shrunk on or bolted to the rudder head. 1976Oxf. Compan. Ships & Sea 731/2 It is by means of the quadrant, with the assistance of a steering engine, that force is applied to turn the rudder.
(ii) (See quot. 1940.)
1885H. Paasch From Keel to Truck 80/1 Quadrant, reversing, secteur de changement de marche. Umsteuerungs-Quadrant. 1940Chambers's Techn. Dict. 691/1 Quadrant, a slotted segmental guide through which an adjusting lever (e.g. a reversing lever) works. It is provided with means for locating the lever in any desired angular position. 1959Weekly Times (Melbourne) 30 Sept. 1 (Advt.), At your fingertips is the ‘automatic brain’ of your Ferguson [tractor]—the amazingly simple control quadrant that gives you complete 4-way work control. Without moving your hand more than six inches, you can raise and lower implements or hold them rigidly in any position. 1971‘D. Rutherford’ Clear the Fast Lane 46 He took the sharp curve..snicking the gearbox quadrant into second. 1977R.A.F. News 8–21 June 11/2 In such foggy conditions..quadrant operators would be unable to sight and pinpoint the bomb and rocket hit points.
c. A quarter of a sphere or spherical body.
1882Vines tr. Sachs' Bot. 300 In each of the four quadrants [of a cell] a third division takes place.
d. (Freq. with capital initial.) A street or part of a street curved in a quarter-circle; spec. the eastern end of Regent Street adjoining Piccadilly Circus in London.
1822S. Leigh New Picture of London (new ed.) vi. 289 Quadrant, extending from Piccadilly to Glasshouse-street, ornamented by handsome colonnades supported by about 140 cast-iron pillars. 1847Thackeray Van. Fair (1848) xxxviii. 348 The bearded savages..who..scowl at you..in the Quadrant arcades. 1875A. E. Housman Let. 9 Jan. (1971) 6 The Quadrant, Regent Street, and Pall Mall are the finest streets. 1885List of Subscribers, Brighton (South of Eng. Telephone Co.) 3 Farringdon B.—5, North-street-quadrant. 1974F. Selwyn Cracksman on Velvet ii. 131 The wagon rumbled the length of Nash's elegant quadrant. 1974J. Gardner Return of Moriarty 131 They were in a house near Regent Street, near the Quadrant.
5. An instrument, properly having the form of a graduated quarter-circle, used for making angular measurements, esp. for taking altitudes in astronomy and navigation.
Various kinds of quadrants (some being improperly so called) have been employed for different purposes, but are now to a great extent superseded by more perfect instruments. The distinctive names are derived either from the inventors (as Adams's, Coles's, Collins's, Davis's, Godfrey's or Hadley's, Gunter's, Sutton's quadrant), from those by whom it is used (as gunner's, surveyor's quadrant), or from some property, use, etc., of the instrument (as horodictical, mural, sinical quadrant).
a1400in Halliwell Rara Mathematica (1841) 58 Til..þe threde whereon þe plumbe henges falle vpon þe mydel lyne of þe quadrant, þat es to say þe 45 degre. a1400–50Alexander 129 Quadrentis [MS. In adrentis] corven all of quyte siluyre. 1555Eden Decades 245 With my quadrant and Astrolabie instrumentes of Astronomie. 1627Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. xiv. 68 The Gunners quadrant is to leuell a Peece or mount her to any randon. 1638Chilmead tr. Hues' Treat. Globes (1889) 102 Observe the Meridian Altitude of the Sunne with the crosse staffe, quadrant, or other like instrument. 1696Phillips (ed. 5), David's [1706 Davis's] Quadrant, an Instrument us'd by Seamen, wherewith they observe the height of the Sun with their Backs toward it. 1774M. Mackenzie Maritime Surv. 10 With a Theodolite, or Hadley's Quadrant..take the Angles YXA, YXB, YXC. 1848Dickens Dombey iv, The stock in trade of this old gentleman comprised..sextants, and quadrants. 1897F. T. Bullen Cruise Cachalot 100 Anything..more out of date than his ‘hog-yoke’, or quadrant, I have never seen.
6. attrib. and Comb., as quadrant cell, quadrant lever; quadrant-like, quadrant-shaped adjs.; quadrant-compass, a carpenter's compass with an arc to which one leg may be screwed (Knight Dict. Mech. 1875); quadrant electrometer, an electrometer in which the index moves through a quarter of a circle; quadrant method Archæol., a method of dividing up a site to be excavated (see quot. 1954); quadrant steam-engine, an engine in which the piston oscillates through a sector of a circle, instead of sliding along a cylinder (Knight Dict. Mech.).
1777T. Cavallo Compl. Treat. Electr. iii. iii. 161 Fig 7th. represents Mr. Henly's quadrant electrometer. 1816J. Smith Panorama Sc. & Art II. 247 This conductor should be furnished with a quadrant electrometer. 1833J. Holland Manuf. Metal II. 278 The principle [of Strutt's lock]..consists in a number of quadrant levers. 1874J. T. Micklethwaite Mod. Par. Churches 163 The mediæval quadrant-shaped cope-chests. 1884Bower & Scott De Bary's Phaner. 20 Each quadrant cell is again divided into two unequal parts. 1897Outing (U.S.) XXIX. 525/1 The quadrant-like part of the shutter. [1930A. E. van Giffen Die Bauart der Einzelgräber 7 Bei den Hügeluntersuchungen wird von mir mit Vorliebe nach der sog. Quadrantenmethode..vorgegangen. Ich verwendete sie zuerst..im Jahre 1916.] 1939G. Clark Archæol. & Society iv. 97 For dealing with round barrows with internal structures of timber Dr A. E. van Giffen of Groningen has evolved what he terms the ‘quadrant method’. 1954M. Wheeler Archaeol. from Earth viii. 95 It is known as quartering or the quadrant method. The mound is marked out into four quarters by two strings, laid preferably to the cardinal points of the compass and over the approximate centre. Opposite quarters are then excavated in turn, a balk 1½–3 feet wide being left between each quadrant in such a fashion as to give a complete transverse section across the mound in both directions. 1967L. de Paor Archæol. ii. 49 The ‘quadrant method’..is much used in the excavation of circular barrows and other small mounds... It will be observed that one of the objects of the method is to preserve to the last moment two full cross-sections.
▪ II. † quadrant, n.2 Obs.
[App. an alteration of quadrat or quadrate n.1, through assoc. with prec. See also quadran n.]
1. = quadrangle n. 2, 3.
1443in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) I. 389 Werkemen and labor' dryving the berne in to the quadrant of the College. 1537in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford 143 The abbot send for me,..he beyng under the ellme in the quadrant. 1582Stanyhurst æneis iv. (Arb.) 118 Dido affrighted..Too the inner quadrant runneth. 1631Weever Anc. Fun. Mon. 412 A faire large Chappell on the East side of the Quadrant. 1655Fuller Hist. Camb. v. §29 The present quadrant of the Schools.
2. A square; a square thing or piece (also fig.): a square picture.
1474Caxton Chesse 140 The kyng..is sette in the iiij quadrante or poynt of theschequer. 1563–87Foxe A. & M. (1596) 587 Since the time they did receiue the catholicke faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, as a most perfect quadrant. 1601Holland Pliny II. 440 The quadrants or square cantons of the old Tuny fish, burnt to a cole..are thought to be good for the tooth-ach. 1651Life Father Sarpi (1676) 22 A portable quadrant of Christ in the Garden.
b. One side of a square. (Cf. quadrature 2.)
1577–87Holinshed Chron. III. 856/2 A palace, the which was quadrant, and euerie quadrant of the same palace was three hundred and twentie eight foot long.
▪ III. quadrant, n.3
see quadrate n.3
▪ IV. † ˈquadrant, a. Obs.
[ad. L. quadrant-em, pres. pple. of quadrāre to square: in sense 1 perh. an alteration of quadrat quadrate a. (cf. prec. and quadran 2).]
1. Square; of a square form.
1509Hawes Past. Pleas. iii. (Percy Soc.) 15 The craggy rocke, whiche quadrant did appeare. 1535R. Layton Let. to Cromwell 12 Sept. in Wood Ann. 62 Wee found all the great Quadrant Court [of New College] full of the leaves of Dunce. 1577–87[see prec. 2 b]. 1591Garrard Art Warre 161 Taking from the quotient y⊇ roote of the quadrant number. 1601Bp. W. Barlow Defence 105 The quadrant stones of Salomons building. 1603T. M. Progr. Jas. I in Arb. Garner VIII. 501 A goodly edifice of free stone, built in quadrant manner. 1618Barnevelt's Apol. E b, The truth resembles, right, the right Cubes figure;..Whose quadrant flatness neuer doth disfigure.
b. Astron. = quadrate a. 2.
The form in this case may be due to association with quadrant n.1 4.
1594Blundevil Exerc. vii. x. (1636) 662 Characters..Whereof the first signifieth a conjunction..the fourth a quadrant aspect.
2. Agreeing, consonant, or conformable (to or with). Cf. quadrate a. 4. (So obs. F. quadrant.)
1536St. Papers Hen. VIII, I. 521 Perceyving that your opinion and advise is quadrant with the same; We haue sent..a pardon to our Cousin. 1598Yong Diana 241 To do the contrarie..were..not quadrant to that, which is expected at your hands. 1720Welton Suffer. Son of God II. xx. 567 Thou art content with the Sincerity and Uprightness of my Inclinations, tho' they should not be so exactly Conformable and Quadrant to Thine Own. |