Multangle

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A shape or figure that has many corners and angles, such as a polygon with more sides than a square
2. Any plane figure bounded by numerous straight sides meeting at several angles, typically more than four
3. A many-sided geometric figure whose outline turns through a number of angles

Etymology: "Multangle" is a noun for a figure with many angles, formed in Renaissance Latin as "multangulum," a neuter noun use of the Classical Latin adjective "multangulus," meaning "many-cornered." The Latin adjective is itself a compound of "multus," meaning "many," and "angulus," meaning "angle" or "corner," which is also the source of the English "angle." The English word is a learned borrowing, so it reflects the scholarly Latin of the Renaissance rather than everyday speech. Its component parts are transparent: a polygon-like shape defined by how many corners it has, built from classical building blocks. Writers used the Latin form to describe shapes with many sides, and the English noun carried that same literal sense over.