noun
quaternion
Quaternion (noun) means a group of four people or things.
noun
1
A group of four people or things.
2
A word made up of four syllables.
3
A hypercomplex number with four dimensions: one real component and three imaginary components, each a real multiple of one of three separate, independent square roots of minus one, labelled i, j and k. It is widely used in vector maths, and offers an alternative to matrix algebra for calculating how three-dimensional objects rotate.
"The right-hand side of the quaternion equation requires scalar multiplication and quaternion addition."
— David H. Eberly, 3D Game Engine Architecture: Engineering Real-Time Applications with Wild Magic (2004)
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Etymology
Comes from Middle English quaterniǒun, from Late Latin quaterniō, from quaternī (“four each”) plus -iō, from quater (“four times”). It is a doublet of kern. The mathematical sense was coined by the Irish mathematician and astronomer William Rowan Hamilton in 1843.
Related words
Rhymes for quaternion
region
ablation
allusion
emulsion
ideation
novation
diffusion
elocution
extension
oxidation
perfusion
selection
See all rhymes for quaternion →
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of quaternion?
"quaternion" (noun) means a group of four people or things.
What is another word for quaternion?
Other words for "quaternion" include quartet, quaternary, tetrad, quatern, foursome, four.
What are the different meanings of quaternion?
"quaternion" has 3 main meanings: 1. A group of four people or things; 2. A word made up of four syllables; 3. A hypercomplex number with four dimensions: one real component and three imaginary components, each a real multiple of one of three separate, independent square roots of minus one, labelled i, j and k. It is widely used in vector maths, and offers an alternative to matrix algebra for calculating how three-dimensional objects rotate.
