2 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Octant \Oc"tant\, n. [L. octans, -antis. fr octo eight See
{Octave}.]
1. (Geom.) The eighth part of a circle; an arc of 45 degrees.
2. (Astron. & Astrol.) The position or aspect of a heavenly
body, as the moon or a planet, when half way between
conjunction, or opposition, and quadrature, or distant
from another body 45 degrees.
3. An instrument for measuring angles (generally called a
quadrant), having an arc which measures up to 9O[deg], but
being itself the eighth part of a circle. Cf {Sextant}.
4. (Math. & Crystallog.) One of the eight parts into which a
space is divided by three co["o]rdinate planes.
From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]:
octant
n : an instrument for measuring angles to a celestial body;
similar to a sextant but with 45 degree calibration
more about octant
browse words by letter
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
or search
thesauri
dictionary
search words
|
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
|
