Napier's bones
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Related to Napier Bones: John Napier, Pascaline
Na·pi·er's bones
(nā′pē-ərz, nə-pîrz′)pl.n. (used with a sing. verb)
A set of graduated rods used to perform multiplication quickly.
[After John Napier.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Napier's bones
pl n
(Mathematics) a set of graduated rods formerly used for multiplication and division
[C17: based on a method invented by John Napier]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
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Noun | 1. | Napier's bones - a set of graduated rods formerly used to do multiplication and division by a method invented by John Napier calculating machine, calculator - a small machine that is used for mathematical calculations plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one |
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