sextant
1
9.7
An angle equal to sixty degrees
- noun
- /ˈsɛkstənt/
- Archaic
:
sextante
- Navigators often use a sextant to measure the angle between a star and the horizon.
Examples
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A sextant allows sailors to accurately calculate their latitude by observing the position of celestial bodies.
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Well, we're two weeks behind... according to the sextant and the charts.
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To determine his position at sea, the captain took several measurements with his sextant.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Sextant as a unit also comes from Latin sextans meaning 'one-sixth' and sex meaning 'six', so it names an angle equal to sixty degrees. That's why a sextant in geometry or astronomy means one-sixth of a full circle.