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Glite Dictionary
sexagesimal

sexagesimal

1 9.9
Relating to the number sixty or a number system that uses sixty
  • adjective
  • /ˌsɛksəˈdʒɛməl/
  • Specialized
: sexagesimal
  • The ancient Sumerians, with their sexagesimal (base 60) arithmetic, invented the double-twelve-hour timekeeping.

Examples

  • Many modern calculators use the sexagesimal system for converting degrees into minutes and seconds.

  • The ancient Babylonians developed a sexagesimal system that is still used for measuring time and angles.

  • To understand how ancient cultures calculated time, you must learn about their sexagesimal mathematics.

Surface Forms

sexagesimal positive

Etymology

The word sexagesimal comes from the Latin sexaginta, meaning 'sixty', and the ending -al, meaning 'related to'. So sexagesimal describes a system 'based on sixty', which is why minutes and seconds and the 360-degree circle use sixty as their base.