dodecahedron

American  

[doh-dek-uh-hee-druhn, doh-dek-] / doʊˌdɛk əˈhi drən, ˌdoʊ dɛk- /

noun

Geometry, Crystallography.

plural

dodecahedrons, dodecahedra

1. a solid figure having 12 faces.

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dodecahedron British  

/ ˌdəʊdɛkəˈhiːdrən /

noun

1. a solid figure having twelve plane faces. A regular dodecahedron has regular pentagons as faces See also polyhedron

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dodecahedron Scientific  

/ dō′dĕk-ə-hē′drən /

plural

dodecahedrons

1. A polyhedron having twelve faces.

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Other Word Forms

• dodecahedral adjective

Etymology

Origin of dodecahedron

First recorded in 1560–70; dodeca- + -hedron

Example Sentences

The group of volunteers plans to return to the area where the dodecahedron was found in the hope of unearthing more clues.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2024

Granted, the shape is dramatically different than the one that existed when minor-league ball was shuttered last summer — like a square becoming a dodecahedron.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 2, 2020

By how much does the surface area of a dodecahedron increase as the side length of each pentagon doubles from 1 unit to 2 units?

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

This involves two different polyhedra with the same volume: an irregular dodecahedron with pentagonal faces, possessing tetrahedral symmetry, and a tetrakaidecahedron, which has two hexagonal and 12 pentagonal faces possessing antiprismatic symmetry.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2015

And perhaps the symbol on the bow of one of the first starships would be a dodecahedron, with the inscription “Starship Theodorus of the Planet Earth.”

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan