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Definition of "scalar" [sca•lar]

  • A quantity, such as mass, length, or speed, that is completely specified by its magnitude and has no direction. (noun)
  • Mathematics A number, numerical quantity, or element in a field. (noun)
  • A device that yields an output equal to the input multiplied by a constant, as in a linear amplifier. (noun)
  • Of or relating to a scalar. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "scalar" in a sentence
  • "The cult leader warns that her followers will make and defend themselves with what she calls scalar electromagnetic weapons if they are attacked, just as Aum defended itself when it was threatened."
  • "The triple product is sometimes called the scalar triple product to distinguish it from the vector triple product"
  • "This is related to Grice's first maxim of quantity ( "Make your contribution as informative as required") and is held responsible for the inference of so-called scalar implicatures, among others."