| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| quadrant |
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| SYLLABICATION: | quad·rant |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  kw d r nt |
| NOUN: | 1. Mathematics a. A circular arc of 90°; one fourth of the circumference of a circle. b. The plane area bounded by such an arc and two perpendicular radii. c. Any of the four areas into which a plane is divided by the reference axes in a Cartesian coordinate system, designated first, second, third, and fourth, counting counterclockwise from the area in which both coordinates are positive. 2. A machine part or other mechanical device that is shaped like a quarter circle. 3. An early instrument for measuring altitude of celestial bodies, consisting of a 90° graduated arc with a movable radius for measuring angles. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, quarter of a day, from Latin quadr ns, quadrant-, a fourth part. See kwetwer- in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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