Phrase guide

coordinate system

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A method of representing the position of any individual point in a space of given dimensionality as a tuple of numerical coordinates.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: geometry, mathematical-analysis, mathematics, sciences

Examples

  • 1992, D. H. Maling, Coordinate Systems and Map Projections, 2nd Edition, Pergamon Press, page 27, In this chapter we review some of the fundamental ideas about the plane coordinate systems which are used in surveying and mapping, both from the viewpoint of studying the mathematics of map projections and the practical tasks which arise in cartography.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a system that uses coordinates to establish position

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: frame of reference, reference system, reference frame

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: arrangement, organization, organisation, system

Narrower terms: Cartesian coordinate system, inertial reference frame, inertial frame, space-time, space-time continuum

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

28 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نِظَامُ إِحْدَاثِيَّاتٍ (niẓāmu ʔiḥdāṯiyyātin) — method of representing points in a space
  • Armenian: կոորդինատային համակարգ (koordinatayin hamakarg) — method of representing points in a space
  • Bulgarian: координа́тна систе́ма (koordinátna sistéma) — method of representing points in a space
  • Chinese Mandarin: 坐標系 /坐标系 (zuòbiāoxì) — method of representing points in a space
  • Czech: soustava souřadnic — method of representing points in a space
  • Danish: koordinatsystem — method of representing points in a space
  • Dutch: coördinatenstelsel — method of representing points in a space
  • Esperanto: koordinatsistemo — method of representing points in a space
  • French: système de coordonnées — method of representing points in a space
  • German: Koordinatensystem — method of representing points in a space
  • Hindi: निर्देशांक तंत्र (nirdeśāṅk tantra) — method of representing points in a space
  • Hungarian: koordináta-rendszer — method of representing points in a space
  • Italian: sistema di coordinate — method of representing points in a space
  • Japanese: 座標系 (zahyōkei) — method of representing points in a space
  • Korean: 좌표계 (jwapyogye) — method of representing points in a space
  • Northern Kurdish: sîstema koordînatê — method of representing points in a space
  • Latin: systēma coōrdinātārum — method of representing points in a space
  • Norwegian Bokmål: koordinatsystem — method of representing points in a space
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: koordinatsystem — method of representing points in a space
  • Polish: układ współrzędnych — method of representing points in a space
  • Portuguese: sistema de coordenadas — method of representing points in a space
  • Romanian: sistem de coordonate — method of representing points in a space
  • Russian: систе́ма координа́т (sistéma koordinát) — method of representing points in a space
  • Somali: iskuxidh nidaamyo — method of representing points in a space
  • Spanish: sistema de coordenadas — method of representing points in a space
  • Swedish: koordinatsystem — method of representing points in a space
  • Tagalog: tayuwatan — method of representing points in a space
  • Tagalog: kaayusang katayuwat — method of representing points in a space