Definition

1. Noun:
   • The projecting piece on a sundial that casts the shadow: A "gnomon" is the part of a sundial, typically a rod or triangular plate, that stands upright and whose shadow indicates the time of day by its position on a marked dial.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The ancient sundial's bronze gnomon had weathered over centuries.
  • To tell the time, you observe where the shadow of the gnomon falls on the dial.

Advanced Usage

• In geometry: The term "gnomon" can also refer to the shape that remains when a smaller parallelogram is removed from a corner of a larger, similar one.
  • In the diagram, the L-shaped figure is the gnomon to the smaller square.

Variants and Related Words

• Gnomonic (adj): Pertaining to a gnomon or to the art of dialing (sundial construction).
  • The gnomonic projection is a map projection where great circles are shown as straight lines.

Synonyms

• Style: Another term for the gnomon of a sundial.
• Pointer: A more general term that can describe the indicating part of an instrument.

Related Idioms

Noun

1. indicator provided by the stationary arm whose shadow indicates the time on the sundial