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Quadrant vs Quadrat - What's the difference?

quadrant | quadrat |

As nouns the difference between quadrant and quadrat

is that quadrant is one of the four sections made by dividing an area with two perpendicular lines while quadrat is an area of land, marked for studying its plants, animals, soil, natural processes, etc. While originally rectangular, modern quadrats can be rectangular, circular, irregular, etc. (e.g.: Krebs, C.J., 1999. Ecological Methodology. Addison-Welsey Educational Publishing, Inc., Menlo Park, California; Wheater, C.P., Bell, J.R., Cook, P.A., 2011. Practical Field Ecology: A Project Guide. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, West Sussex, England..

quadrant

Alternative forms

* quadraunt (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun)
  • One of the four sections made by dividing an area with two perpendicular lines.
  • (mathematics) The four regions of the Cartesian plane bounded by the x-axis and y-axis.
  • (geometry) One fourth of a circle or disc; a sector with an angle of 90°.
  • (nautical) A measuring device with a graduated arc of 90° used in locating an altitude.
  • See also

    * octant * sextant ----

    quadrat

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (sciences) An area of land, marked for studying its plants, animals, soil, natural processes, etc. While originally rectangular, modern quadrats can be rectangular, circular, irregular, etc. (e.g.: Krebs, C.J., 1999. Ecological Methodology. Addison-Welsey Educational Publishing, Inc., Menlo Park, California; Wheater, C.P., Bell, J.R., Cook, P.A., 2011. Practical Field Ecology: A Project Guide. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, West Sussex, England.)
  • Etymology 2

    1683. Probably from (etyl) cadrat or (etyl) . So called because the basic quadrat, the em quadrat, has a square face, having the same width as the height of a line of type.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (metal type, obsolete) A quad; a blank metal block used to fill space in lines of type.
  • * 1683 , Joseph Moxon, Mechanick Exercises: Or, the Doctrine of Handy-Works. Applied to the art of Printing. , v 2, p 222–23:
  • If his Title'' be ?hort, he ''Sets'' it in the middle of the ''Line'', by ''Setting Quadrats''''' on both ?ides: If his ''Title'' be long, he ''Sets'' the middle ''Line'' in the middle: If it make three or more ''Lines'', he ''Indents'' the fir?t with an m '''''Quadrat''''', and the other with two m '''''Quadrats .
    Synonyms
    * quad * space
    Derived terms
    * quad ----