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quaternion

 - 3 dictionary results

qua⋅ter⋅ni⋅on

  [kwuh-tur-nee-uhn]
Use quaternion in a Sentence
–noun
1. a group or set of four persons or things.
2. Bookbinding. four gathered sheets folded in two for binding together.
3. Mathematics.
a. an expression of the form a + bi + cj + dk, where a, b, c, and d are real numbers; i2 = j2 = k2 = −1; and ij = −ji = k, jk = −kj = i, and ki = −ik = j.
b. a quantity or operator expressed as the sum of a real number and three complex numbers, equivalent to the quotient of two vectors. The field of quaternions is not commutative under multiplication.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME quaternioun < LL quaterniōn- (s. of quaterniō), equiv. to L quatern(ī) four at a time + -iōn- -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To quaternion
qua·ter·ni·on   (kwə-tûr'nē-ən)   
n.  

  1. A set of four persons or items.

  2. Mathematics Any number of the form a + bi + cj + dk where a, b, c, and d are real numbers, ij = k, i2 = j2 = -1, and ij = -ji. Under addition and multiplication, quaternions have all the properties of a field, except multiplication is not commutative.


[Middle English quaternioun, from Late Latin quaterniō, quaterniōn-, from Latin quaternī, by fours, from quater, four times; see kwetwer- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Bible Dictionary

Quaternion

a band of four soldiers. Peter was committed by Herod to the custody of four quaternions, i.e., one quaternion for each watch of the night (Acts 12:4). Thus every precaution was taken against his escape from prison. Two of each quaternion were in turn stationed at the door (12:6), and to two the apostle was chained according to Roman custom.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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