Planimetry

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The measurement and study of flat geometric figures is an aspect of mathematics that focuses on two-dimensional shapes and their properties
2. Involves the analysis of plane surfaces and their dimensions, emphasizing figures without considering thickness
3. This branch of geometry concentrates on the properties and measurement of flat surfaces, dealing with shapes existing in a two-dimensional space

Etymology: Planimetry is a compound built from two parts. The first, "plani-", comes from the Latin "planus", meaning flat or level, the same root that gives English "plane" and "plain". The second, "-metry", comes from Greek "metria", a noun of measuring, as in "geometry" (earth-measuring) and "trigonometry". Joined together, the term literally means the measuring of flat things. The word is thus a straightforward technical coinage rather than an ancient term, and its logic is transparent: it names the branch of geometry dealing with surfaces, as opposed to solids. Mathematicians needed a label to set plane geometry apart from solid geometry, and building it from familiar Latin and Greek elements was the standard method for such labels.

Synonyms: area measurement, plane geometry