vector

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: vec=tor

CIDE DICTIONARY

vector, n. [L., a bearer, carrier. fr. vehere, vectum, to carry.].

•  Same as Radius vector.  [1913 Webster]
•  A directed quantity, as a straight line, a force, or a velocity. Vectors are said to be equal when their directions are the same and their magnitudes equal. Cf. Scalar.  [1913 Webster]

  " In a triangle, either side is the vector sum of the other two sides taken in proper order; the process finding the vector sum of two or more vectors is vector addition (see under Addition)."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

vector, n. & v.
--n.
1 Math. & Physics a quantity having direction as well as magnitude, esp. as determining the position of one point in space relative to another (radius vector).
2 a carrier of disease.
3 a course to be taken by an aircraft.
--v.tr. direct (an aircraft in flight) to a desired point.

Derivative

vectorial adj. vectorize v.tr. (also -ise) (in sense 1 of n.). vectorization n.

Etymology

L, = carrier, f. vehere vect- convey

THESAURUS

vector

aerial infection, air line, airborne infection, axis, azimuth, beeline, biological vector, carrier, chord, communicability, compass bearing, compass direction, contagion, contagiousness, contamination, course, cryptogenic infection, diagonal, diameter, direct infection, direct line, directrix, droplet infection, dust infection, edge, epidemiology, great-circle course, hand infection, heading, indirect infection, infection, infectiousness, lee side, magnetic bearing, mechanical vector, normal, perpendicular, phytogenic infection, primary infection, pyogenic infection, radius, radius vector, relative bearing, right line, secant, secondary infection, segment, shortcut, side, straight, straight course, straight line, straight stretch, straightaway, streamline, subclinical infection, tack, taint, tangent, transversal, true bearing, vehicle, virus, waterborne infection, weather side, zoogenic infection

ROGET THESAURUS

vector

Direction

N direction, management, managery, government, gubernation, conduct, legislation, regulation, guidance, bossism, legislature, steerage, pilotage, reins, reins of government, helm, rudder, needle, compass, guiding star, load star, lode star, pole star, cynosure, supervision, superintendence, surveillance, oversight, eye of the master, control, charge, board of control, command, premiership, senatorship, director, chair, portfolio, statesmanship, statecraft, kingcraft, queencraft, ministry, ministration, administration, stewardship, proctorship, agency, director, directing, hegemonic, at the helm, at the head of, direction, bearing, course, vector, set, drift, tenor, tendency, incidence, bending, trending, dip, tack, aim, collimation, steering steerage, point of the compass, cardinal points, North East, South, West, N by E, ENE, NE by N, NE, rhumb, azimuth, line of collimation, line, path, road, range, quarter, line of march, alignment, allignment, air line, beeline, straight shoot, directed, directed towards, pointing towards, bound for, aligned, with alligned with, direct, straight, undeviating, unswerving, straightforward, North, Northern, Northerly, towards, on the road, on the high road to, en avant, versus, to, hither, thither, whither, directly, straight as an arrow, forwards as an arrow, point blank, in a bee line to, in a direct line to, as the crow flies, in a straight line to, in a bee line for, in a direct line for, in a straight line for, in a bee line with, in a direct line with, in a straight line with, in a line with, full tilt at, as the crow flies, before the wind, near the wind, close to the wind, against the wind, windwards, in the wind's eye, through, via, by way of, in all directions, in all manner of ways, quaquaversum, from the four winds, the shortest distance between two points is a stra.