dimension

Etymology

From Latin dīmēnsiō, dīmēnsiōnem.

noun

1. A single aspect of a given thing.
   This film can be enjoyed on many dimensions - the script is great, the acting is realistic, and the special effects will simply take you aback.
2. A measure of spatial extent in a particular direction, such as height, width or breadth, or depth.
   We live our lives in three dimensions for our threescore and ten allotted years. Yet every branch of contemporary science, from statistics to cosmology, alludes to processes that operate on scales outside of human experience: the millisecond and the nanometer, the eon and the light-year. 2012-01, Robert L. Dorit, “Rereading Darwin”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 2012-11-14, page 23
3. A construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished.
4. (geometry) The number of independent coordinates needed to specify uniquely the location of a point in a space; also, any of such independent coordinates.
5. (linear algebra) The number of elements of any basis of a vector space.
6. (physics) One of the physical properties that are regarded as fundamental measures of a physical quantity, such as mass, length and time.
   The dimension of velocity is length divided by time.
7. (computing) Any of the independent ranges of indices in a multidimensional array.
8. (science fiction, fantasy) A universe or plane of existence.
   a machine that lets you travel to a parallel dimension.
   If a man should wish to be in some other place, it is entirely possible for him to imagine himself in that place and, diving back through the negative dimension, to emerge out of it in that place with instantaneous rapidity. To imagine oneself——— 1938 July, L. Ron Hubbard, “The Dangerous Dimension”, in Astounding Science-Fiction, volume XXI, number 5, Street & Smith, →OCLC, page 105
   DR. PAUL MANHEIM: I have been on the other side. I have touched another dimension. Part of me is still there. LAURA MANHEIM: Help him. DR. CRUSHER: Try to stay calm Dr. Manheim. I don't think it's going to help you're struggling against it. DR. PAUL MANHEIM: My mind is floating between two places. It is difficult to know which is which. There is no way to explain it. May 2, 1988, Rod Loomis, Michelle Phillips, Gates McFadden, We'll Always Have Paris (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Paramount Domestic Television, →OCLC
   He was experimenting with matter transportation through the nth dimension. 2016, A.K. Brown, Jumpstart (Champagne Universe Series: Book 1), page 2

verb

1. (transitive) To mark, cut or shape something to specified dimensions.
2. (transitive, programming) To specify the size of (an array or similar data structure); to allocate.
   Dimension an array to hold only as much data as you intend to put into it. 2002, James D. Foxall, Wendy Haro-Chun, SAMS Teach Yourself C# in 24 Hours, page 268