: an instrument for measuring altitudes consisting commonly of a graduated arc of 90 degrees with an index or vernier and usually having a plumb line or spirit level for fixing the vertical or horizontal direction
b
: a device or mechanical part shaped like or suggestive of the quadrant of a circle
2
a
: an arc of 90 degrees that is one quarter of a circle
b
: the area bounded by a quadrant and two radii
3
a
: any of the four parts into which a plane is divided by rectangular coordinate axes lying in that plane
b
: any of the four quarters into which something is divided by two real or imaginary lines that intersect each other at right angles
This word is used for a traditional instrument, used to make calculations of altitude and traditionally employed by sailors to navigate, which has a piece shaped like a quarter of a circle. A quadrant shower is a shower that fits snugly into a bathroom corner and displays a curved front, making a quadrant shape on the floor. But perhaps quadrant is used most often today to name a particular quarter of a city.
Examples of quadrant in a Sentence
Draw two intersecting lines that divide the page into four quadrants.
The town is located in the northwest quadrant of the state.
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Profile Weaknesses: Poor quality metrics, well under .500 against the top two quadrants.—Jim Root, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025 At this stage in the bespoke process, the basting thread disfigured the jacket, dividing it into quadrants, and the buttons were nothing but stickers.—Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025 The answer to the first question is yes, because a basketball show that stars Kate Hudson hits every quadrant.—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025 Almost all of the development has been in the southwest quadrant of the property, near Oceanside Boulevard and Rancho Del Oro Drive.—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quadrant
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin quadrant-, quadrans fourth part; akin to Latin quattuor four — more at four
: any of the four more or less equivalent segments into which an anatomic structure may be divided by vertical and horizontal partitioning through its midpoint
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