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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Sextant \Sex"tant\, noun [L. sextans, -antis, the sixth part of an as, fr. sextus sixth, sex six. See {Six}.]
1. (Math.) The sixth part of a circle.
2. An instrument for measuring angular distances between objects, -- used esp. at sea, for ascertaining the latitude and longitude. It is constructed on the same optical principle as Hadley's quadrant, but usually of metal, with a nicer graduation, telescopic sight, and its arc the sixth, and sometimes the third, part of a circle. See {Quadrant}.
3. (Astron.) The constellation Sextans.
{Box sextant}, a small sextant inclosed in a cylindrical case to make it more portable.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
sextant
noun
1: a unit of angular distance equal to 60 degrees
2: a measuring instrument for measuring the angular distance between celestial objects; resembles an octant
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
42 Moby Thesaurus words for "sextant": astrolabe, astronavigation, azimuth circle, azimuth compass, bevel, bevel protractor, bevel square, celestial navigation, chronometer, clinometer, coastwise navigation, consolan, crescent, dead reckoning, fix, goniometer, graphometer, half circle, hemicycle, line of position, loran, pantometer, pilotage, plane sailing, point-to-point navigation, protractor, quadrant, radar, radio beacon, radio navigation, radiogoniometer, sector, semicircle, shoran, sofar, sonar, tables, theodolite, transit, transit circle, transit instrument, transit theodolite
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