parallelogram

American  

[par-uh-lel-uh-gram] / ˌpær əˈlɛl əˌgræm /

noun

1. a quadrilateral having both pairs of opposite sides parallel to each other.

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parallelogram British  

/ ˌpærəˈlɛləˌɡræm /

noun

1. a quadrilateral whose opposite sides are parallel and equal in length See also rhombus rectangle trapezium trapezoid

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parallelogram Scientific  

/ păr′ə-lĕl′ə-grăm′ /

1. A four-sided plane figure with opposite sides parallel. Rhombuses and rectangles are parallelograms.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• parallelogrammatic
  adjective
• parallelogrammatical
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of parallelogram

First recorded in 1560–70; from Late Latin parallēlogrammum, from Greek parallēlógrammon; equivalent to parallel + -o- + -gram ¹

Compare meaning

How does parallelogram compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• rhombus vs. parallelogram

Explanation

A parallelogram is a four-sided object that has parallel opposite sides. A square is a parallelogram. If you take the square and tilt it to one side, it’s still a parallelogram as long as its lines remain parallel. A parallelogram is a two-dimensional object that you might have already encountered in geometry class. You can recognize a parallelogram by its parallel opposite sides, and also by its opposite angles that are equal. Adjacent angles on a parallelogram always add up to 180 degrees. If the angles of a parallelogram are 90 degrees, then it’s straight up and down, like a square or a rectangle.

Example Sentences

We saw in Area of a Parallelogram that the area of this parallelogram is ‖ u × v ‖ .

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

By Area of a Parallelogram, vectors P→M and v form two sides of a parallelogram with area ‖ P→M × v ‖ .

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

Her production of Norris' "A Parallelogram" came to the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2013.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2014

Of Summarizing in the Parallelogram its Aspect and of the Fortune or Experience of the Querist that it will Report.

From The Square of Sevens An Authoritative Method of Cartomancy with a Prefatory Note by Prime-Stevenson, Edward

Public opinion is a compromise between the many elements which make up human society; and compromise is a purely mechanical affair, based on the principle of the Parallelogram of Forces.

From The Romance of Mathematics Being the Original Researches of a Lady Professor of Girtham College in Polemical Science, with some Account of the Social Properties of a Conic; Equations to Brain Waves; Social Forces; and the Laws of Political Motion. by Hampson, P.

Related Words

• square