vec·tor
(vĕḱtər)
[Latin, carrier, from vehere, vect-, to carry.]
noun
- Mathematics
- A quantity, such as velocity, completely specified by a magnitude and a direction.
- A one-dimensional array.
- An element of a vector space.
- Pathology An organism, such as a mosquito or tick, that carries disease-causing microorganisms from one host to another.
- Genetics A bacteriophage, plasmid, or other agent that transfers genetic material from one cell to another.
- A force or influence.
- A course or direction, as of an airplane.
transitive verb: -tored, -tor·ing, -tors.
- To guide (a pilot or aircraft, for example) by means of radio communication according to vectors.
derivatives
- vec·tóri·al
- adjective
