DIMENSION


Meaning of DIMENSION in English

I. də̇ˈmenchən sometimes dīˈ- noun

( -s )

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle English dimensioun, from Middle French dimension, from Latin dimension-, dimensio, from dimensus (past participle of dimetiri to measure out, from di- — from dis- apart — + metiri to measure) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at dis- , measure

1.

a. : measure in a single line (as length, breadth, height, thickness, or circumference) : one of the three coordinates of position ; specifically : the physical characteristic of length, breadth, or thickness

a line has one dimension (length), a plane has two dimensions (length and breadth), and a cube has three dimensions (length, breadth, and thickness)

— usually used in plural

b. : the quality of spatial extension

dimension is a common trait of all matter

: magnitude , size

the town's modest dimensions and leisurely ways — Jane Shellhase

c.

(1) : the range over which or the degree to which something extends : extent , scope , proportions

the vast dimensions of the disaster

music grown to the dimensions of a great art

— usually used in plural

(2) : the quality, character, or moral or intellectual stature proper to or belonging to a person

reduced to his own natural dimensions — J.G.Lockhart

— usually used in plural

(3) chiefly in literature and art : lifelike or realistic quality

a portrayal from which the character of Hamlet emerges bloodless, without dimension

: largeness of vision or thought

reasoned convictions give his work a dimension lacking in the plays of lesser men

d.

(1) : the particular set of circumstances or environmental factors within which someone or something exists or with reference to which something is viewed

for a social novelist … time is the dimension in which his materials exist — Granville Hicks

(2) : one of the elements or factors making up a complete personality or entity

no other character in the book has more than one dimension

: one of the planes of organization or one of the aspects of a cultural phenomenon

every human situation has environmental, organic, and social dimensions

preoccupation with geography at the expense of other dimensions of dialectal diversity — Glenna R. Pickford

: an independent variable or a combination of variables

a psychological test measuring dimensions of personality

: quality , aspect , trait

2. archaic : the act or an instance of measuring : measurement

3. obsolete : bodily form or proportions

hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions? — Shakespeare

4. : one of a set of coordinates containing the number of coordinates necessary and sufficient to distinguish any one of the elements of a magnitude or aggregate from all others : one of the three coordinates of momentum

5. : one of the fundamental units or powers thereof that enter into the makeup of a derived unit

the gram, the square of the centimeter, and the -2 power of the second are the dimensions of the erg

6. : wood or stone cut to pieces of specified size: as

a. : yard lumber usually over two inches and under five inches thick and of any width

b. : hardwood in small squares of varying length and thickness for the use especially of manufacturers of furniture

c. : blocks or slabs of natural stone used chiefly for the construction of masonry walls and memorials

Synonyms: see size

II. transitive verb

( dimensioned ; dimensioned ; dimensioning -ch(ə)niŋ ; dimensions )

1. : to make or form (as by cutting or planing) to the required dimensions

the shaft is dimensioned to fit any wheel

2. : to figure with dimensions and sometimes also with tolerances (as an architectural plan or a working drawing) : indicate the dimensions on (a drawing)

III. noun

: the number of elements in a basis of a vector space

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.