hypotenuse

[ hahy-pot-n-oos, -yoos ]

noun

, Geometry.

1. the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle.

hypotenuse

/ haɪˈpɒtɪˌnjuːz /

noun

1. the side in a right-angled triangle that is opposite the right angle hyp

hypotenuse

/ hī-pŏt′n-o̅o̅s′ /

1. The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle. It is the longest side, and the square of its length is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides.

hypotenuse

1. In a right triangle (a triangle that has one right angle ), the side opposite the right angle. ( See Pythagorean theorem .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypotenuse¹

1565–75; earlier hypotenusa < Latin hypotēnūsa < Greek hypoteínousa ( grámmē ) subtending (line) (feminine present participle of hypoteínein to subtend), equivalent to hypo- hypo- + tein- stretch ( thin ) + -ousa feminine present participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypotenuse¹

C16: from Latin hypotēnūsa, from Greek hupoteinousa grammē subtending line, from hupoteinein to subtend, from hypo- + teinein to stretch

Example Sentences

"What would they do to a slave who knew what a hypotenuse was, what irony meant, how retribution was spelled?"

From BBC

The hypotenuse of that triangle then has the length √2.

From Scientific American

No one is ever going to ask you about a hypotenuse when you get out of school.

From Salon

The quantity c is the length of the longest side, called the hypotenuse.

From Scientific American

Its strangeness lay in how Leonardo’s sketch showed an adjoining pitcher and, pouring from its spout, a series of circles that formed the triangle’s hypotenuse.

From New York Times