Cuboids

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A three-dimensional geometric shape with six rectangular faces, also known as a rectangular prism
2. A solid object formed by extending a rectangle in the third dimension, resulting in a box-like structure
3. An object that can be defined by its length, width, and height, with all angles being right angles and opposite faces being equal in area

Etymology: "Cuboids" is the plural of "cuboid", a noun for a six-faced box shape. The word is built from "cube" plus the suffix "-oid", and that suffix carries most of the meaning. It comes from Ancient Greek "eidos", meaning "form" or "shape", which gave the Greek suffix "-eidēs", "having the form of". Latin borrowed it as "-oīdēs", and English later took it as "-oid", so "cuboid" literally means "cube-like". The suffix is the key to a whole family of English scientific words. Adding "-oid" to a noun produces a term for something resembling that thing, as with "spheroid" for a shape like a sphere or "humanoid" for something shaped like a human. "Cuboid" follows the same pattern, so it describes any solid that looks like a cube without necessarily being one, such as a rectangular brick.