sextant

[ sek-stuhnt ]

/ ˈsɛk stənt /

noun

an astronomical instrument used to determine latitude and longitude at sea by measuring angular distances, especially the altitudes of sun, moon, and stars.

(initial capital letter)Astronomy. the constellation Sextans.

Origin of sextant

1590–1600; <Latin sextant- (stem of sextāns ) sixth part of a unit. See sext¹, -ant

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sextant

sextant , sextet, sexton

Words nearby sextant

sex symbol, sext, sextain, sextan, Sextans, sextant, sextern, sex test, sextet, sex-text, sex therapy

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for sextant

He was expert in the use of quadrant and sextant, and could take a lunar observation and work it out with accuracy.
Siam|George B. Bacon
The sextant and circle had been the property of Dunbar, and were acquired from him by Governor Gayoso.
Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Volume 2 (of 14), 1899|Various
For this we shall want a good watch, or pocket chronometer, and a sextant or other instrument for taking altitudes.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 3|Various
Elder Pratt gave me some instructions on the use of the sextant and showed me how to take an observation.
William Clayton's Journal|William Clayton

He reached across for Captain Branscome's sextant, and held it between his shaking hands.
Poison Island|Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (Q)

British Dictionary definitions for sextant

sextant

/ (ˈsɛkstənt) /

noun

an optical instrument used in navigation and consisting of a telescope through which a sighting of a heavenly body is taken, with protractors for determining its angular distance above the horizon or from another heavenly body

a sixth part of a circle having an arc which subtends an angle of 60°

Word Origin for sextant

C17: from Latin sextāns one sixth of a unit

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

Scientific definitions for sextant

sextant

[ sĕk′stənt ]

An instrument containing a graduated 60° arc and a movable pivoted arm corresponding to the radius of the arc's circle, used in celestial navigation to measure the altitude of a celestial body in order to determine the observer's latitude and longitude. A horizontally mounted telescope and two small mirrors are arranged so that the observer can, by moving the pivoted arm, sight the horizon and the reflected image of the celestial body in the same line, giving a reading along the arc that is used to look up the observer's position in a published table.

单词	sextant
释义	sextant [ sek-stuhnt ] / ˈsɛk stənt / noun an astronomical instrument used to determine latitude and longitude at sea by measuring angular distances, especially the altitudes of sun, moon, and stars. (initial capital letter)Astronomy. the constellation Sextans. Origin of sextant 1590–1600; <Latin sextant- (stem of sextāns ) sixth part of a unit. See sext¹, -ant WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sextant sextant , sextet, sexton Words nearby sextant sex symbol, sext, sextain, sextan, Sextans, sextant, sextern, sex test, sextet, sex-text, sex therapy Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for sextant He was expert in the use of quadrant and sextant, and could take a lunar observation and work it out with accuracy. Siam\|George B. Bacon The sextant and circle had been the property of Dunbar, and were acquired from him by Governor Gayoso. Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Volume 2 (of 14), 1899\|Various For this we shall want a good watch, or pocket chronometer, and a sextant or other instrument for taking altitudes. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 3\|Various Elder Pratt gave me some instructions on the use of the sextant and showed me how to take an observation. William Clayton's Journal\|William Clayton He reached across for Captain Branscome's sextant, and held it between his shaking hands. Poison Island\|Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (Q) British Dictionary definitions for sextant sextant / (ˈsɛkstənt) / noun an optical instrument used in navigation and consisting of a telescope through which a sighting of a heavenly body is taken, with protractors for determining its angular distance above the horizon or from another heavenly body a sixth part of a circle having an arc which subtends an angle of 60° Word Origin for sextant C17: from Latin sextāns one sixth of a unit 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 Scientific definitions for sextant sextant [ sĕk′stənt ] An instrument containing a graduated 60° arc and a movable pivoted arm corresponding to the radius of the arc's circle, used in celestial navigation to measure the altitude of a celestial body in order to determine the observer's latitude and longitude. A horizontally mounted telescope and two small mirrors are arranged so that the observer can, by moving the pivoted arm, sight the horizon and the reflected image of the celestial body in the same line, giving a reading along the arc that is used to look up the observer's position in a published table. The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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