: 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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Homoya plants his spotting scope on the sidewalk not far from a hotdog vendor on the southeast quadrant of the circle and points it up toward the nest box.—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 22 Sep. 2025 There was another threepeat in the women’s 4x100m thanks to the quadrant of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Twanisha Terry, Kayla White and Sha’Carri Richardson before a rousing finish from reigning Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles saw the US defeat Canada in the corresponding men’s event.—Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2025 Fraser and Schweigert also laid out a four-quadrant model on how to approach high-stakes situations.—Katherine Fung, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025 Jobs could vanish in one quadrant of the company yet materialize in another.—Dan Pontefract, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 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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