Quadrilateral

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌkwɑd.ɹəˈlæt.ɚ.əl/

Definitions

1. A flat geometric shape with exactly four straight sides and four angles
2. A polygon characterized by four edges and four vertices forming a closed figure with various properties and classifications
3. An enclosed shape in two dimensions that consists of four linear sides and their adjacent angles, which can vary in type

Etymology: "Quadrilateral" is built from Latin roots that name its geometry directly: "quadri-" meaning "four" and "latus," meaning "side." The Latin adjective "quadrilaterus," four-sided, was the basis for the English term, which is a learned borrowing from New Latin, the scholarly Latin used by European writers from the Renaissance onward. The suffix "-al" turns the adjective into a noun, so the word is really a shortened way of saying "four-sided figure." The word's form tells you its meaning: each part names a component of the shape, with nothing hidden behind it. Its parts are transparent in a way many geometric terms are not, which is why it reads so plainly to speakers today.

Synonyms: four-sided figure, quadrangle