Nonius
//ˈnəʊnɪəs// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A device for adjusting the accuracy of mathematical instruments, later superseded by the vernier.
"Well, of course, one must manipulate the various Screw-Settings precisely, read the Nonius, and an hundred other details besides I’d but bore you with,—"
Example
More examples"Well, of course, one must manipulate the various Screw-Settings precisely, read the Nonius, and an hundred other details besides I’d but bore you with,—"
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin Nonius, the Latinised form of the name of its inventor, Pedro Nunes (1502-78), a Portuguese mathematician and geographer.
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.