OCTANT

octant

(noun) a measuring instrument for measuring angles to a celestial body; similar to a sextant but with 45 degree calibration

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

octant (plural octants)

The eighth part of a circle; an arc of 45 degrees.

(astrology) The aspect of two planets that are 45°, or one-eighth of a circle, apart.

(geometry) The eighth part of a disc; a sector of 45 degrees; half a quadrant.

(nautical) An instrument for measuring angles, particularly of elevation.

Synonyms

• (astronomy): octile

Anagrams

• Catton

Source: Wiktionary

Oc"tant, n. Etym: [L. octans, -antis. fr. octo eight. See Octave.]

1. (Geom.)

Definition: The eighth part of a circle; an arc of 45 degrees.

2. (Astron. & Astrol.)

Definition: The position or aspect of a heavenly body, as the moon or a planet, when half way between conjunction, or opposition, and quadrature, or distant from another body 45 degrees.

3. An instrument for measuring angles (generally called a quadrant), having an arc which measures up to 9Oº, but being itself the eighth part of a circle. Cf. Sextant.

4. (Math. & Crystallog.)

Definition: One of the eight parts into which a space is divided by three coördinate planes.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition