Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

Cartesian

adjective Car·te·sian \kär-ˈtē-zhən\

Definition of CARTESIAN

:  of or relating to René Descartes or his philosophy
— Cartesian noun
— Car·te·sian·ism \-zhə-ˌni-zəm\ noun
ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of CARTESIAN

New Latin cartesianus, from Cartesius Descartes
First Known Use: 1656

Other Philosophy Terms

dialectic, dualism, epistemology, existentialism, metaphysics, ontology, sequitur, solipsism, transcendentalism

Rhymes with CARTESIAN

adhesion, Arlesian, cohesion, Ephesian, Etesian, Gaspesian, Salesian

Learn More About CARTESIAN

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: Cartesian coordinatePrevious Word in the Dictionary: cartesAll Words Near: Cartesian
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries