Standard Lemma guide

sextant

name · noun · 7 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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  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ˈsɛk.stənt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛkstənt

1

name

Meaning 1

The constellation Sextans.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A navigational device for deriving angular distances between objects so as to determine latitude and longitude.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: nautical, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

One sixth of a circle or disc; a sector with an angle of 60°.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: geometry, mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

One of six groups of adjacent teeth, excluding the wisdom teeth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: dentistry, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A radial cell division of segments in three series, a sixth part of the original.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a measuring instrument for measuring the angular distance between celestial objects; resembles an octant

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: measuring instrument, measuring system, measuring device

Narrower terms: astrolabe

7

noun

Meaning 7

a unit of angular distance equal to 60 degrees

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: angular unit

History

Etymology

From Latin sextāns.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سُدْس (suds) — navigational instrument
  • Arabic: سُدُس (sudus) — navigational instrument
  • Azerbaijani: sekstant — navigational instrument
  • Bulgarian: секстант (sekstant) — navigational instrument
  • Catalan: sextant — navigational instrument
  • Chinese Mandarin: 六分儀 /六分仪 (liùfēnyí) — navigational instrument
  • Czech: sextant — navigational instrument
  • Danish: sekstant — navigational instrument
  • Esperanto: sekstanto — navigational instrument
  • Finnish: sekstantti — navigational instrument
  • French: sextant — navigational instrument
  • Galician: sextante — navigational instrument
  • German: Sextant — navigational instrument
  • Greek: εξάντας (exántas) — navigational instrument
  • Japanese: 六分儀 (rokubungi) — navigational instrument
  • Kazakh: секстант (sekstant) — navigational instrument
  • Korean: 육분의 (yukbunui) — navigational instrument
  • Malayalam: ദൂരകോണമാപിനി (dūrakōṇamāpini) — navigational instrument
  • Manx: uillin-towsheyder — navigational instrument
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sekstant — navigational instrument
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sekstant — navigational instrument
  • Persian: سدس (sods) — navigational instrument
  • Portuguese: sextante — navigational instrument
  • Romanian: sextant — navigational instrument
  • Russian: секста́нт (sekstánt) — navigational instrument
  • Russian: секста́н (sekstán) — navigational instrument
  • Spanish: sextante — navigational instrument
  • Swedish: sextant — navigational instrument
  • Ottoman Turkish: آینه (ayna) — navigational instrument
  • Vietnamese: kính lục phân — navigational instrument
  • Welsh: secstant — navigational instrument
  • Catalan: sextant — one sixth of a circle
  • Finnish: sekstantti — one sixth of a circle
  • Galician: sextante — one sixth of a circle
  • Portuguese: sextante — one sixth of a circle