noun Etymology: New Latin ~-, sextans sixth part of a circle, from Latin, sixth part, from sextus sixth Date: 1628 an instrument for measuring angular distances used especially in navigation to observe altitudes of celestial bodies (as in ascertaining latitude and longitude)
SEXTANT
Meaning of SEXTANT in English
Merriam Webster. Explanatory English dictionary Merriam Webster. Толковый словарь английского языка Мерриам-Уэбстер. 2012