I. ˈsektə(r) also -ˌtȯ(ə)r or -ȯ(ə) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Late Latin (translation of Greek tomeus ), from Latin, cutter, from sectus (past participle of secare to cut) + -or — more at saw
1.
a. : the geometrical figure bounded by two radii and the included arc of a circle
b.
(1) : a subdivision of a defensive military position assigned to a commander as an area of responsibility, bounded by arbitrary lines on the sides and rear, and in front extending to the maximum range of the weapons of the garrison — compare zone of action
(2) : a portion of a front in military operations
c. : something (as an area or a portion or part of something) resembling or held to resemble a sector : division , quarter , section
the Soviet sector of Berlin
a reforested sector of cutover land — American Guide Series: Oregon
d. : a sociological, economic, or political subdivision of society
maintenance of public order is primarily the responsibility of the public sector — Kerner Report
2. : a mathematical instrument consisting of two rulers connected at one end by a joint and marked with several scales (as of equal parts chords, sines, or tangents)
3.
a. : an astronomical instrument whose limb embraces only a part of a circle and which is used for measuring angles too great for the compass of a micrometer
b. : an arc-shaped attachment to an equatorial mounting often used for communicating slow-motion control of the driving clock to the polar axis
4. : a part of an apparatus whose principal kinematic lines form a sector
an index sector
Synonyms: see part
II. -tə(r) verb
( sectored ; sectored ; sectoring -t(ə)riŋ ; sectors )
transitive verb
: to divide into or furnish with sectors
intransitive verb
: to form colonies made up of visibly different sectors — used chiefly of bacteria and fungi that form mutant strains early in the colony history
III. noun
: a subdivision of a track on a computer disk