Euclid

[ yoo-klid ]

noun
  1. flourished c300 b.c., Greek geometrician and educator at Alexandria.

  2. a city in NE Ohio, near Cleveland.

Words Nearby Euclid

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British Dictionary definitions for Euclid

Euclid

/ (ˈjuːklɪd) /


noun
  1. 3rd century bc, Greek mathematician of Alexandria; author of Elements, which sets out the principles of geometry and remained a text until the 19th century at least

  2. the works of Euclid, esp his system of geometry

Derived forms of Euclid

  • Euclidean or Euclidian (juːˈklɪdɪən), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Euclid

Euclid

[ yōōklĭd ]


  1. Greek mathematician whose book, Elements, was used continuously until the 19th century. In it he organized and systematized all that was known about geometry. Euclid's systematic use of deductions and axioms was widely regarded as a model working method and influenced mathematicians and scientists for over two thousand years.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for Euclid

Euclid

[ (yooh-klid) ]


An ancient Greek mathematician; the founder of the study of geometry. Euclid's Elements is the basis for modern school textbooks in geometry. One of the basic statements, or postulates, of Euclid's geometry is that if a line and a point separate from it are given, only one line parallel to the first line can pass through the point.

Notes for Euclid

Albert Einstein used other approaches to geometry to derive the theory of relativity. These “non-Euclidean geometries” deny Euclid's postulate about parallel lines.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.