cartesian

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: Car=te=sian

CIDE DICTIONARY

cartesian, a. [From Renatus Cartesius, Latinized from of René Descartes: cf. F. cartésien.].

 Of or pertaining to the French philosopher René Descartes, or his philosophy.  [1913 Webster]
"The Cartesion argument for reality of matter."  [1913 Webster]

Cartesian coördinates (Geom), distance of a point from lines or planes; -- used in a system of representing geometric quantities, invented by Descartes. -- Cartesian devil, a small hollow glass figure, used in connection with a jar of water having an elastic top, to illustrate the effect of the compression or expansion of air in changing the specific gravity of bodies. -- Cartesion oval (Geom.), a curve such that, for any point of the curve mr + m′r′ = c, where r and r′ are the distances of the point from the two foci and m, m′ and c are constant; -- used by Descartes.

cartesian, n. 

 An adherent of Descartes.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

cartesian, adj. & n.
--adj. of or relating to R. Descartes, 17th-c. French philosopher and mathematician.
--n. a follower of Descartes.

Idiom

Cartesian coordinates a system for locating a point by reference to its distance from two or three axes intersecting at right angles.

Derivative

Cartesianism n.

Etymology

mod.L Cartesianus f. Cartesius, name of Descartes

DEVIL DICTIONARY

cartesian

adj. Relating to Descartes, a famous philosopher, author of the celebrated dictum, _Cogito ergo sum_ -- whereby he was pleased to suppose he demonstrated the reality of human existence. The dictum might be improved, however, thus: _Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum_ -- "I think that I think, therefore I think that I am;" as close an approach to certainty as any philosopher has yet made.