sexagesimal

Etymology

From Medieval Latin sexagesimalis, from sexāgēsimus (“sixtieth”) + -ālis (“-al”), from sexāgintā (“sixty”). Cognate with sexagenary and sexagenarian. Cf. sextal.

adj

  1. (mathematics) Of, related to, or based on the number sixty.
    The common English divisions of time, longitude, and latitude are all computed using sexagesimal arithmetic.

noun

  1. (mathematics) A fraction involving division by 60; a sixtieth part of something.
    Decimals are actually less convenient than sexagesimals for working with most common fractions.
  2. (mathematics) A base-60 number.
    Babylonian mathematics was computed in sexagesimals.

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