What does "quadrature" mean?
Quadrature: A quadrate; a square. Milton.
Additional senses
- 2.(Integral Calculus) The integral used in obtaining the area bounded by a curve; hence, the definite integral of the product of any function of one variable into the differential of that variable.
- 3.(Astron.) The position of one heavenly body in respect to another when distant from it 90º, or a quarter of a circle, as the moon when at an equal distance from the points of conjunction and opposition. Quadrature of the moon (Astron.), the position of the moon when one half of the disk is illuminated. -- Quadrature of an orbit (Astron.), a point in an orbit which is at either extremity of the latus rectum drawn through the empty focus of the orbit.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00