trapezoid

[ trap-uh-zoid ]

noun

1. Geometry.
   1. a quadrilateral plane figure having two parallel and two nonparallel sides.
   2. British. trapezium ( def 1b ).
2. Anatomy. a bone in the wrist that articulates with the metacarpal bone of the forefinger.

adjective

1. Also trape·zoidal. Geometry. of, relating to, or having the form of a trapezoid.

trapezoid

/ ˈtræpɪˌzɔɪd /

noun

1. a quadrilateral having neither pair of sides parallel
2. Also calledBrit, Austral., NZ, and South Africantrapezium a quadrilateral having two parallel sides of unequal length
3. a small bone of the wrist near the base of the index finger

trapezoid

/ trăp′ĭ-zoid′ /

1. A four-sided plane figure having two parallel sides.

trapezoid

1. A four-sided polygon in which two sides are parallel and two are not.

Other Words From

• post·trape·zoid adjective
• sub·trape·zoid adjective
• subtrap·e·zoidal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of trapezoid¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; from New Latin trapezoīdēs, from Late Greek trapezoeidḗs “trapezium-like”; trapezium, -oid

Word History and Origins

Origin of trapezoid¹

C18: from New Latin trapezoidēs , from Late Greek trapezoeidēs trapezium-shaped, from trapeza table

Example Sentences

Most dynamic are the pictures in which jauntily arranged trapezoids, grouped tightly together, appear to fracture.

From Washington Post

Each number was fractured into a number of parts indicating how many trapezoids it could form.

From FiveThirtyEight

Is any thing here added to the conception of each trapezoid?

From Project Gutenberg

The second trapezoid is composed of pieces which can be placed in the rectangle, filling it completely.

From Project Gutenberg

Trapezoid -al: a four-sided plane of which two sides are parallel and two are not.

From Project Gutenberg

Another drawer contains various figures: an oval, an ellipse, a rhombus, and a trapezoid.

From Project Gutenberg

Arms trapezoid, at the base half as broad, at the distal end twice as broad as the triopyle-shaped medullary shell.

From Project Gutenberg