quaternion

Meaning

Noun

• A group or set of four people or things.
• A word of four syllables.
• A four-dimensional hypercomplex number that consists of a real dimension and three imaginary ones (i, j, k) that are each an independent square root of -1. They are commonly used in vector mathematics and in calculating the rotation of three-dimensional objects.

Related

Narrower meaning words

• versor

Broader meaning words

• hypercomplex number

Origin

• From Middle English quaternioun, from Late Latin quaterniō, from quaternī, ablative form of quater + -iōn. The mathematics sense was .