sextant — meaning in English

English meaning

• sextant noun A navigational instrument with a graduated arc and mirrors, used to measure the angle between a celestial body and the horizon in order to work out latitude and position at sea.

Senses

sextant is used for these senses in English:

• Sextans (constellation) A dim spring constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a sextant. It lies south of the constellation of Leo.
• sextant (nautical) A navigational device for deriving angular distances between objects so as to determine latitude and longitude.

sextant — full definition

1. noun A navigational instrument with a graduated arc and mirrors, used to measure the angle between a celestial body and the horizon in order to work out latitude and position at sea.
2. noun A sixth part of a circle, an arc of sixty degrees.