Illustration of sextant
sextant
noun
sex·tant ˈsek-stənt 
: an instrument for measuring angular distances used especially in navigation to observe altitudes of celestial bodies (as in ascertaining latitude and longitude)
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Chow's sextant, a navigation instrument that measured celestial objects and the horizon -- the only navigation device at that time -- was useless. 
Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN, 23 Aug. 2021 The astrodome included a hanging point for a sextant so navigators would not have to hold the weighty instrument. David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 25 Apr. 2021 For centuries, using a sextant, a sailor could mark a ship’s location by making a few calculations to determine a star’s position relative to the horizon. David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 25 Apr. 2021 One, a rally in the Northeast sextant’s King School Park. oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2020 A year prior, the sextant used by the captain of rescue ship Carpathia sold for just under $97,000. Fox News, 12 June 2020 A year prior, the sextant used by the captain of rescue ship Carpathia sold for just under $97,000. Fox News, 12 June 2020 A year prior, the sextant used by the captain of rescue ship Carpathia sold for just under $97,000. Fox News, 12 June 2020 Darwin's sextant from the voyage aboard the Beagle. National Geographic, 11 June 2020 See More
Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN, 23 Aug. 2021 The astrodome included a hanging point for a sextant so navigators would not have to hold the weighty instrument. David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 25 Apr. 2021 For centuries, using a sextant, a sailor could mark a ship’s location by making a few calculations to determine a star’s position relative to the horizon. David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 25 Apr. 2021 One, a rally in the Northeast sextant’s King School Park. oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2020 A year prior, the sextant used by the captain of rescue ship Carpathia sold for just under $97,000. Fox News, 12 June 2020 A year prior, the sextant used by the captain of rescue ship Carpathia sold for just under $97,000. Fox News, 12 June 2020 A year prior, the sextant used by the captain of rescue ship Carpathia sold for just under $97,000. Fox News, 12 June 2020 Darwin's sextant from the voyage aboard the Beagle. National Geographic, 11 June 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin sextant-, sextans sixth part of a circle, from Latin, sixth part, from sextus sixth
First Known Use
1628, in the meaning defined above