How Do You Spell SEXTAN?

Pronunciation: [sˈɛkstən] (IPA)

Sextan is a relatively uncommon word that refers to something related to the sixth in a series. It is pronounced /ˈsɛkstən/, with the first syllable rhyming with "hecks." The spelling is derived from the Latin word "sextus," meaning "sixth," and the English suffix "-an," which is used to form adjectives from other words. While not commonly used in everyday language, it can be useful when discussing topics such as music theory, where "sextan chord" refers to a chord built on the sixth degree of a scale.

SEXTAN Meaning and Definition

1. Sextan is an adjective that originated from the Latin term "sextans," meaning a sixth part. It refers to something that is related to or occurring every sixth part or sixth unit of a whole system. In specific contexts, it can also pertain to something related to the sixth day of the week, which is Saturday.

   In various historical and cultural contexts, sextan has been used to describe different concepts. In ancient Rome, sextan was employed to denote an ancient Roman bronze coin, valued as one-sixth of an as. Moreover, it was utilized to refer to the sixth hour of the day, which was considered as noon.

   In the field of medicine, sextan can be associated with certain fevers or diseases that exhibit a periodicity of every sixth day. This particular pattern is characterized by having one day of fever followed by five days without any symptoms, before the cycle repeats itself.

   Furthermore, sextan can be employed in a more general sense to describe anything that is divided into six equal parts or units, or that relates to a period or cycle of every sixth part or sixth occurrence.

   Overall, the term sextan encapsulates the idea of something occurring every sixth part or sixth unit of a whole system, relating to the sixth day of the week, or dividing an entity into six equal parts.

2. Noting a malarial fever the paroxysms of which recur every sixth day.

   A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.

Common Misspellings for SEXTAN

• sextant
• sexant
• sextanr
• sextan t
• sextin
• sexton
• sexten
• aextan
• zextan
• xextan
• eextan
• wextan
• swxtan
• ssxtan
• sdxtan
• srxtan
• s4xtan
• s3xtan
• sexran
• sexfan

Etymology of SEXTAN

The word "sextan" does not have a clear etymology as it is not commonly used in contemporary English. However, it is possible to trace its origin to Latin. "Sextan" is derived from the Latin word "sextans", which was a unit of measure in the ancient Roman system of weights and measures. The word "sextans" itself comes from the Latin prefix "sex-" meaning "six" and the noun "ans" which denotes a unit of measure.