vector

C2+ Topic:Health & Medicine

US /ˈvɛktər/ UK /ˈvɛktə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a quantity with magnitude and direction; a carrier of disease

Mosquitoes are the chief vector of malaria.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a quantity with magnitude... carrier direction course transmitter bearing

Opposites

scalar

Word family

Derived forms vectorialvectorize

Related forms vehicle convey invective

Etymology

From Latin 'vector' ('carrier, one who conveys'), agent noun from 'vehere' ('to carry, convey'). The mathematical sense arose in the 19th century.

vector Latin vehere Latin *weǵʰ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Health & Medicine Physics Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# vector

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈvɛktər/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈvɛktə/

## Meanings
1. a quantity with magnitude and direction; a carrier of disease

## Examples
- Mosquitoes are the chief vector of malaria.

## Synonyms
- carrier
- direction
- course
- transmitter
- bearing

## Antonyms
- scalar

## Derived Forms
- vectorial
- vectorize

## Related Forms
- vehicle
- convey
- invective

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: vector
- Root: vehere
- Root: *weǵʰ-

## Etymology
From Latin 'vector' ('carrier, one who conveys'), agent noun from 'vehere' ('to carry, convey'). The mathematical sense arose in the 19th century.

## AI Etymology
Vector comes from Latin 'vector' ('carrier, one who conveys'), agent noun from 'vehere' ('to carry, convey'). The mathematical sense arose in the 19th century. The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a noun and verb, it denotes "a quantity with magnitude and direction; a carrier of disease", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Latin vector, Latin vehere, and Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-. Derivative forms include vectorial, vectorize; related words include vehicle, convey, invective.

## Topics
- Health & Medicine
- Physics
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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