dimension

Pluraldimensions

Formsdimensions, dimensioning, dimensioned

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A measure of how far something extends in a particular direction, such as its height, width, or depth.

   Engineers recorded every dimension of the component to the nearest millimeter.

   The sculpture's vertical dimension exceeds three meters.

   Similarmeasurement, size, measure, extent

   Note

   Put in the plural with a number, it names space itself. Robert L. Dorit writes in American Scientist (2012), "We live our lives in three dimensions." Douglas Adams's Mostly Harmless (1992) jokes about the count, warning of what goes on "in dimensions thirteen to twenty-two." In everyday use the word stays concrete: it means the height, width or depth you measure with a tape.

2. 2
   nouncountable

   A particular aspect or facet of something.

   The report explores the social dimension of the new policy.

   Trust adds another dimension to any close friendship.

   Similaraspect, facet, side, element, angle

3. 3
   nouncountable

   A separate universe or plane of existence, especially in works of fiction.

   The portal opened onto a dimension where time flowed backward.

   Each dimension in the saga has its own laws of magic.

   Similarrealm, world, universe, plane

   Note

   Science fiction borrowed the geometer's word and turned it into a place you can visit. The usual collocations are a parallel dimension, another dimension and the nth dimension. L. Ron Hubbard's "The Dangerous Dimension" appeared in Astounding Science-Fiction in 1938. In the 1988 Star Trek episode "We'll Always Have Paris," a scientist says he has "touched another dimension." Like a country, it is countable and takes a or another.

4. 4
   nouncountable

   The number of independent coordinates needed to pinpoint a location in a space, or any one of those coordinates.

   A point on a map needs two dimensions to locate it precisely.

   Adding height gives the model a third dimension.

   Note

   Here the word becomes a count rather than a length. A line has one dimension, a plane two and ordinary space three. Mathematicians say a space "has dimension three," with no article. Everyday English says "three dimensions." Both phrasings are this sense. The measured extent supplies the height, width and depth that fill those three coordinate slots.

5. 5
   nouncountable

   One of the fundamental physical properties (such as mass, length, or time) used to measure a physical quantity.

   Every derived unit is built from a few base dimensions such as length and time.

   Pressure is not a fundamental dimension but a combination of several.

   Note

   Physics uses the word for what a quantity is built from, not for how big it is. Velocity has the dimension of length divided by time, whether it is given in meters per second or miles per hour. Checking that both sides of an equation share the same dimensions is called dimensional analysis. It is a quick test of whether a formula can be right.

6. 6
   nouncountable

   A characteristic or attribute by which objects or individuals can be told apart.

   Researchers added income as a new dimension for classifying households.

   Personality tests score people along several dimensions.

   Similarvariable, attribute, factor, criterion, axis

7. 7
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The number of vectors in any basis of a vector space.

   The plane R² has dimension two.

   A basis with five vectors means the space has dimension five.

   Note

   Linear algebra makes the count independent of any choice. Every basis of a vector space has the same number of vectors, so the number belongs to the space itself. The plane R² has dimension two and R³ has dimension three. For ordinary spaces this matches the coordinate count of geometry. The usual phrasing is "has dimension n" or "of dimension n," with no article.

8. 8
   nouncountable

   Any of the independent index ranges in a multidimensional array.

   The image array stores color in a separate dimension from width and height.

   Looping over each dimension lets you visit every element.

   Note

   To a programmer, this is an axis. A table of rows and columns is a two-dimensional array, and an image may add a third dimension for color. Each dimension has its own range of indices. The number of dimensions is the array's rank. Don't confuse a dimension with its size: the size is how many indices it holds, and the programming verb is what sets that size.

9. 9
   verbtransitive

   To mark, cut, or shape something to specified measurements.

   She dimensioned the steel plate to the engineer's exact specifications.

   Workers dimension every beam before it leaves the mill.

   Similarsize, cut, shape

   Note

   The workshop verb sounds most natural in its participle forms. The New York Times describes "a properly dimensioned foyer," and a Montana builder says his job required "very precise dimensioning." On a technical drawing, it can mean marking the measurements as well as cutting material to them. Keep it apart from the programming verb, which sizes an array rather than a physical object.

10. 10
    verbtransitive

    To specify the size of an array or similar data structure, allocating space for it.

    Always dimension the buffer to match the expected input size.

    The compiler complained because the code never dimensioned the array.

    Similarsize

    Note

    This verb grew out of programming syntax. BASIC-family languages declare an array with a DIM statement. The habit carried into newer languages: SAMS Teach Yourself C# in 24 Hours (2002) advises, "Dimension an array to hold only as much data as you intend to put into it." The object of the verb is the array, and what it fixes is the extent of each array axis.

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