sextant

A noun referring to a navigational instrument used to measure the angular distance between celestial objects, such as the sun and the horizon, to determine latitude and longitude.

• 🇵🇹Instrumento náutico usado para medir a altura dos astros acima do horizonte, determinando a latitude e a longitude em navegação astronômica.

1. Angular unit C1 formal scientific

   A unit of angular distance equal to 60 degrees, representing one-sixth of a full circle.

   • The sextant is used to measure angles up to 60 degrees.
   • In geometry, a sextant is one-sixth of a circle.
   • The ancient Greeks divided the circle into sextants.

   🇵🇹Sextante

2. Navigation instrument B2 formal scientific

   A measuring instrument used in navigation to determine the angular distance between celestial objects, such as the sun and the horizon, to calculate latitude and longitude.

   • The sailor used a sextant to find the ship's position at sea.
   • Modern GPS has largely replaced the traditional sextant.
   • He carefully adjusted the sextant to measure the angle of the North Star.

   🇵🇹sextante

• sextants plural form
• sextants' possessive plural form
• sextant's possessive singular form