polyhedron

[ pol-ee-hee-druhn ]

noun

, plural pol·y·he·drons, pol·y·he·dra [pol-ee-, hee, -dr, uh].

1. a solid figure having many faces.

polyhedron

/ ˌpɒlɪˈhiːdrən /

noun

1. a solid figure consisting of four or more plane faces (all polygons), pairs of which meet along an edge, three or more edges meeting at a vertex. In a regular polyhedron all the faces are identical regular polygons making equal angles with each other. Specific polyhedrons are named according to the number of faces, such as tetrahedron, icosahedron, etc

polyhedron

/ pŏl′ē-hē′drən /

, Plural polyhedrons

1. A three-dimensional geometric figure whose sides are polygons. A tetrahedron, for example, is a polyhedron having four triangular sides.
2. ◆ A regular polyhedron is a polyhedron whose faces are all congruent regular polygons. The regular tetrahedron (pyramid), hexahedron (cube), octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron are the five regular polyhedrons. Regular polyhedrons are a type of Archimedean solid.

Derived Forms

• ˌpolyˈhedral, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of polyhedron¹

1560–70; < Greek polýedron, neuter of polýedros having many bases. See poly-, -hedron

Word History and Origins

Origin of polyhedron¹

C16: from Greek poluedron, from poly- + hedron side, base

Example Sentences

The idea for the new map projection came from a recent paper I wrote, “Envelope Polyhedra,” introducing new class of regular polyhedra in which polygons are allowed to appear back-to-back.

From Scientific American

His office overflowed with books, journals, food wrappers and paper polyhedrons, many dangling from the ceiling.

From Scientific American

He notes that his team took inspiration from the Greek philosopher Plato, who related each of the four classical elements—earth, air, fire, and water—to a regular polyhedron, coincidentally linking earth with the cube.

From Science Magazine

This year’s exhibit also features updated versions of the popular “Celestial Shadows” display of spinning polyhedrons, the “Lightwave Lake” light show and Jen Lewin’s interactive landscape of meandering pathways called “Aqueous.”

From Los Angeles Times

This highly symmetric, cage-like shape was first described by Archimedes, and the rules that guide the topology of polyhedra were first developed by Descartes.

From Nature