noun
(1) The cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
Etymology
From
quaternioun, from
quaterniō, from
quaternī (ablative form of
quater, “four times”) +
-iōn, “-ion”.
Noun
- A group or set of four people or things.
- A four-dimensional hypercomplex number that consists of a real dimension and 3 imaginary ones (i, j, k) that are each a square root of -1. They are commonly used in vector mathematics and three-dimensional games. Quaternion multiplication is the most common technique used by mathematicians to avoid gimbal lock when rotating vectors.