An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

Of, relating to, or resembling a wall.

From M.Fr. muraille, from L. muralia, neut. pl. o f muralis "of a wall," from murus "wall."

Divâri "of a wall," from divâr "wall," from Mid.Pers. dîvâr "wall;" related to Mid.Pers. bâr, var "enclosure, defences, fortress;" Mod.Pers. bâru "wall, rampart, fortification; fort; tower;" O.Pers. didā- "wall, stronghold, fortress;" Av. var- "castle," from var- "to cover, conceil;" Proto-Iranian *dida-vāra-; cf. Skt. dehī- "wall;" Gk. teikhos "wall;" E. dike, ditch.

An angle measuring device mounted on or built into a wall. For astronomical purposes, these walls were oriented so they lie precisely on a meridian.

→ mural; → instrument.

A → mural instrument used to determine stellar positions. The quadrant consisted of a wall supporting a 90° graduated arc carefully oriented to the meridian. By means of a movable arm equipped with a sight, the altitude of a star could be determined at meridian passage.

→ mural; → quadrant.

An obsolete → constellation created by the French astronomer Jérôme Lalande in 1795. He named it such for the main astronomical instrument, that is → mural quadrant, he used. Quadrans Muralis was located between the constellations → Boötes and → Draco. The name disappeared from astronomical catalogs, but the → meteor shower→ Quadrantids has kept that name.

→ mural quadrant.