vector

Pronunciation: /ˈvɛktɚ/

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a variable quantity that can be resolved into components
  2. noun a straight line segment whose length is magnitude and whose orientation in space is direction
  3. noun any agent (person or animal or microorganism) that carries and transmits a disease

Etymology

The mathematics sense was coined by Irish mathematician and astronomer William Rowan Hamilton in 1846.

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
variable
Narrower (hyponyms)
vector product, vector sum, radius vector

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