What is another word for sextant?

Pronunciation: [sˈɛkstənt] (IPA)

Sextant is a navigational instrument used to determine the angle between celestial objects and the horizon. Some synonyms used in place of this term include a Davis quadrant, octant, or astrolabe. These tools serve a similar purpose and are used in the same way as a sextant, but differ in their design and method of use. The astrolabe, for instance, is an ancient instrument used to observe and measure the altitude of stars while the Davis quadrant is a more modern tool made of brass or wood. The term sextant comes from its ability to measure angles of 60 degrees, one-sixth of a circle.

What are the hypernyms for Sextant?

A hypernym is a word with a broad meaning that encompasses more specific words called hyponyms.
  • hypernyms for sextant (as nouns)

What are the hyponyms for Sextant?

Hyponyms are more specific words categorized under a broader term, known as a hypernym.

What are the holonyms for Sextant?

Holonyms are words that denote a whole whose part is denoted by another word.

What are the meronyms for Sextant?

Meronyms are words that refer to a part of something, where the whole is denoted by another word.

Usage examples for Sextant

The sextant is the one most in use and so will be described first.
"Lectures in Navigation"
Ernest Gallaudet Draper
If, for instance, you can get a sight by sextant of the sun, you may be able to work out from this sight a very accurate calculation of what your latitude is.
"Lectures in Navigation"
Ernest Gallaudet Draper
Fortunately, I had also my pocket sextant, and with it took some valuable angles.
"Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia In Search of a Route from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpentaria (1848) by Lt. Col. Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell Kt. D.C.L. (1792-1855) Surveyor-General of New South Wales"
Thomas Mitchell

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