Sextant Definition

sĕkstənt
sextants
noun
An instrument used by navigators for measuring the angular distance of the sun, a star, etc. from the horizon, as in finding the position of a ship.
Webster's New World

(geometry) One sixth of a circle or disc; a sector with an angle of 60°.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Sextant

Noun

Singular:
sextant
Plural:
sextants

Origin of Sextant

  • New Latin sextāns sextant- from Latin sixth part (so called because the instrument's arc is a sixth of a circle) from sextus sixth s(w)eks in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Latin sextāns, a bronze coin worth one-sixth of an as.

    From Wiktionary

Sextant Sentence Examples

  • We have a sextant which I used to use every week for practice.

  • Measure the altitude of Polaris above the northern horizon, using the sextant.

  • This was rapidly developed into the modern marine sextant.

  • Zacli published Tables of the Sun (Gotha, 1792; new and improved edition, ibid., 1804), and numerous papers on geographical subjects, particularly on the geographical positions of many towns and places, which he determined on his travels with a sextant.

  • In the case to the side are many instruments including the first sextant, made by John Bird in about 1757.

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Words Starting With

SSESEX

Words Ending With

TNTANT

Unscrambles

sextant

Words Starting With S and Ending With T

Starts With S & Ends With TStarts With SE & Ends With TStarts With S & Ends With NT

Word Length

7 Letter Words7 Letter Words Starting With S7 Letter Words Ending With T