quadrature

noun

quad·​ra·​ture ˈkwä-drə-ˌchu̇r 

-chər,

-ˌtyu̇r,

-ˌtu̇r

1

: a configuration in which two celestial bodies (such as the moon and the sun) have an angular separation of 90 degrees as seen from the earth

2

: the process of finding a square equal in area to a given area

Examples of quadrature in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wi-Fi 7 will also increase throughput by up to 20 percent by moving from Wi-Fi 6/6E's 1,024 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) to 4,096 QAM while adding multi-link operation (MLO) and multi-resource unit puncturing. —Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 4 Aug. 2022

In common usage, many think of dichotomy and quadrature as synonymous. —Todd Nelson, Star Tribune, 3 May 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1