Hexahedral

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing a solid geometric figure that has six flat faces each shaped like a polygon; relating to objects or shapes with six rectangular or square surfaces; pertaining to forms characterized by six planar sides
2. Referring to three-dimensional shapes bounded by six planar faces typically arranged in pairs; signifying objects with six polygonal surfaces often resulting in box-like appearance; indicating the property of having six distinct flat faces making up its boundary
3. Characterizing structures composed of six flat surfaces joined along edges; applying to geometrical solids such as cubes or rectangular prisms; denoting any figure whose exterior consists of six polygonal facets interconnected at edges

Etymology: "Hexahedral" is built from two Greek-derived pieces. The first, "hexa-", comes from Greek "hex", meaning six, and the second, "-hedral", comes from Greek "hedra", a seat or base, which gave English its sense of a flat face on a solid. Put together, the word literally describes something with six seats or bases, that is, six flat faces. The "-hedral" ending is the adjectival form of "-hedron", the familiar suffix in solid geometry. A tetrahedron has four faces, a dodecahedron twelve, and so on, so "hexahedral" is the adjective for shapes built on the six-faced pattern. The cube is the best-known example, which is why the word often appears in descriptions of crystals and boxes.

Synonyms: six-faced, cube-shaped, polyhedral

Antonyms: spherical, round