Octant
Pronunciation : Oc"tant
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [L. octans, -antis. fr. octo eight. See Octave.]
Definition : 1. (Geom.)
Defn: The eighth part of a circle; an arc of 45 degrees.
2. (Astron. & Astrol.)
Defn: The position or aspect of a heavenly body, as the moon or a planet, when half way between conjunction, or opposition, and quadrature, or distant from another body 45 degrees.
3. An instrument for measuring angles (generally called a quadrant), having an arc which measures up to 9O?, but being itself the eighth part of a circle. Cf. Sextant.
4. (Math. & Crystallog.)
Defn: One of the eight parts into which a space is divided by three co?rdinate planes.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913