Dodecaedron

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A three-dimensional geometric shape with twelve flat faces, typically in the form of regular pentagons
2. A polyhedron characterized by having twelve sides, which can be regular or irregular depending on face configuration
3. An object defined mathematically as having twelve polygonal faces and various vertex arrangements in its structure

Etymology: The word is an alternative spelling of "dodecahedron," and its history is a plain compound built from two Greek elements. "Dodeca-" comes from "dōdeka," meaning twelve, and "-hedron" comes from "hedra," meaning seat or base, with the sense of a flat face. Together they describe a solid with twelve faces, which is exactly what the shape is. The Greek term "dōdekaedron" was used for this solid in classical geometry, where the regular twelve-faced solid, with pentagonal faces, was one of the five Platonic solids. The spelling with a single "e" in "dodecaedron" is simply a variant that drops the "h" from the standard form, so the underlying meaning is unchanged.

Synonyms: dodecahedron, polyhedron