Main Entry:: ¹vec·tor
Pronunciation:: \ˈvek-tər\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: New Latin, from Latin, carrier, from vehere to carry — more at way
Date:: 1846

1 a: a quantity that has magnitude and direction and that is commonly represented by a directed line segment whose length represents the magnitude and whose orientation in space represents the direction ; broadly : an element of a vector space b: a course or compass direction especially of an airplane2 a: an organism (as an insect) that transmits a pathogen b: pollinator a3: an agent (as a plasmid or virus) that contains or carries modified genetic material (as recombinant DNA) and can be used to introduce exogenous genes into the genome of an organism

— vector adjective

— vec·to·ri·al

\vek-ˈtȯr-ē-əl\ adjective

— vec·to·ri·al·ly

\-ə-lē\ adverb

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