Angle

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈæŋ.ɡəl/

Definitions

1. A geometric figure formed by two rays sharing a common endpoint, or the space between two intersecting lines measured in degrees
2. A space created by two rays originating from a single point, which illustrates the relationship between two lines diverging from that point, often measured in degrees
3. A geometric measurement represented by two lines or rays extending from the same point, often quantified in degrees to describe their separation

Etymology: Before "angle" meant a geometric corner or a fishing tackle, it was simply a bend or a remote corner of land. The noun traces back to Latin "angulus," meaning corner, and came into English through Middle French "angle." Its older relatives are visible in German "Ange" and the Old High German "ancha," meaning nape of the neck, a reminder of how the body itself supplies many of our words for bends and joints. The verb "to angle," meaning to fish with a hook and line, grows from a different branch. Old English "angel" meant fishhook, and fishing with a hook and line came to be called angling. That hook word is related to Dutch "angel" and Icelandic "öngull," which share the same ancient root meaning "to bend." The same root gives us a hooked fishing tool and a sharp corner alike. The verb meaning to meet at an angle, to converge, came from the noun in Middle English, so the geometric and fishing senses reached English along separate routes that happen to meet in the same spelling.

Synonyms: corner, bend, turn, perspective, viewpoint

Antonyms: straight, line