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American Dictionary of the English Language

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Sexagesimal


SEXAGES'IMAL, adjective Sixtieth; pertaining to the number sexty. Sexagenary or sexgesimal arithmetic, is a method of comutation by sexties, as that which is used in dividing minutes into seconds

Sexagesimals, or sexagesimal fractions, are those whose denominators proceed in the ratio of sixty; as 1/60, 1/3600, 1/21600. The denominator is sixty, or its multiple. These fractions are called also astonomical fractions, because formerly there were no others used in astronomical calculations.