Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
Vector - 10 dictionary results

vec⋅tor

  [vek-ter]
Use Vector in a Sentence
–noun
1. Mathematics.
a. a quantity possessing both magnitude and direction, represented by an arrow the direction of which indicates the direction of the quantity and the length of which is proportional to the magnitude. Compare scalar (def. 4).
b. such a quantity with the additional requirement that such quantities obey the parallelogram law of addition.
c. such a quantity with the additional requirement that such quantities are to transform in a particular way under changes of the coordinate system.
d. any generalization of the above quantities.
2. the direction or course followed by an airplane, missile, or the like.
3. Biology.
a. an insect or other organism that transmits a pathogenic fungus, virus, bacterium, etc.
b. any agent that acts as a carrier or transporter, as a virus or plasmid that conveys a genetically engineered DNA segment into a host cell.
4. Computers. an array of data ordered such that individual items can be located with a single index or subscript.
–verb (used with object)
5. Aeronautics. to guide (an aircraft) in flight by issuing appropriate headings.
6. Aerospace. to change direction of (the thrust of a jet or rocket engine) in order to steer the craft.
Origin:
1695–1705; < L: one that conveys, equiv. to vec-, var. s. of vehere to carry + -tor -tor

Related forms:
vec⋅to⋅ri⋅al  [vek-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-] , adjective
vec⋅to⋅ri⋅al⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Vector
vec·tor   (věk'tər)   
n.  
  1. Mathematics
    1. A quantity, such as velocity, completely specified by a magnitude and a direction.
    2. A one-dimensional array.
    3. An element of a vector space.
  2. Pathology An organism, such as a mosquito or tick, that carries disease-causing microorganisms from one host to another.
  3. Genetics A bacteriophage, plasmid, or other agent that transfers genetic material from one cell to another.
  4. A force or influence.
  5. A course or direction, as of an airplane.
tr.v.   vec·tored, vec·tor·ing, vec·tors
To guide (a pilot or aircraft, for example) by means of radio communication according to vectors.

[Latin, carrier, from vehere, vect-, to carry; see wegh- in Indo-European roots.]
vec·to'ri·al (věk-tôr'ē-əl, -tōr'-) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Vector

Vec"tor\, n. [L., a bearer, carrier. fr. vehere, vectum, to carry.]

1. Same as Radius vector.

2. (Math.) A directed quantity, as a straight line, a force, or a velocity. Vectors are said to be equal when their directions are the same their magnitudes equal. Cf. Scalar.

Note: In a triangle, either side is the vector sum of the other two sides taken in proper order; the process finding the vector sum of two or more vectors is vector addition (see under Addition).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

vector

In physics and mathematics, any quantity with both a magnitude and a direction. For example, velocity is a vector because it describes both how fast something is moving and in what direction it is moving. Because velocity is a vector, other quantities in which velocity is a factor, such as acceleration and momentum, are vectors also.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

vector 
"quantity having magnitude and direction," 1704, from L. vector "one who carries or conveys, carrier," from pp. stem of vehere "carry, convey" (see vehicle).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

Main Entry: 1vec·tor
Pronunciation: 'vek-t&r
Function: noun
1 : a quantity that has magnitude and direction and that is usuallyrepresented by part of a straight line with the given direction and with a length representing the magnitude
2 : an organism (as an insect) that transmits a pathogen from oneorganism or source to another vectors of plague> —compare CARRIER 1a
3 : a sequence of genetic material (as a plasmid) into which a DNA segment has been inserted and which can be used to introduce exogenous genes into the genome of an organism —vec·to·ri·al /vek-'tOr-E-&l, -'tor-/ adjective

Main Entry: 2vector
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: vec·tored; vec·tor·ing /-t(&-)ri[ng]/
: totransmit (a pathogen or disease) from one organism to another : act as a vector for vectored by flies>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

vector vec·tor (věk'tər)
n.

  1. An organism, such as a mosquito or tick, that carries disease-causing microorganisms from one host to another.
  2. A bacteriophage, a plasmid, or another agent that transfers genetic material from one location to another.
  3. A quantity, such as velocity, completely specified by a magnitude and a direction.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
vector   (věk'tər)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A quantity, such as the velocity of an object or the force acting on an object, that has both magnitude and direction. Compare scalar.
  2. An organism, such as a mosquito or tick, that spreads pathogens from one host to another.
  3. A bacteriophage, plasmid, or other agent that transfers genetic material from one cell to another.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

vector
1. A member of a vector space.
2. A line or movement defined by its end points, or by the current position and one other point. See vector graphics.
3. A memory location containing the address of some code, often some kind of exception handler or other operating system service. By changing the vector to point to a different piece of code it is possible to modify the behaviour of the operating system.
Compare hook.
4. A one-dimensional array.
(1996-09-30)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Cite This Source
Search another word or see Vector on Thesaurus | Reference