Octaedral

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a structure comprised of eight distinct surfaces, commonly associated with certain geometric forms in mathematics and science
2. Referring to any solid object that is defined by eight flat sides in various geometric applications
3. Characterized by a shape possessing eight flat faces that often appears in geometric contexts and mathematical discussions

Etymology: "Octaedral" is an archaic spelling of "octahedral," meaning having eight faces. It is built from "octa-," from Greek "okto" meaning eight, and "-hedral," from Greek "hedra," meaning seat or base, which in geometry came to mean a flat face of a solid. So a shape with eight flat faces is literally an eight-seated solid. The spelling without the "h" is the older form, and it reflects the word's Greek origin more directly, since the Greek source for the second element lacks the aspirated sound that the "h" in the modern spelling was later used to indicate in English. The modern form with "h" is the one standard today, while "octaedral" survives mainly in older texts.

Synonyms: octahedral