cube

¹

[kyoob]

noun

1. a solid bounded by six equal squares, the angle between any two adjacent faces being a right angle.

2. an object, either solid or hollow, having this form or a form approximating it.

   a cube of cheese; plastic storage cubes.

3. sugar cube.

4. flashcube.

5. Mathematics.,  the third power of a quantity, expressed as a 3 = aaa.

6. Informal.,  cubic inch, especially as a measure of the displacement of an automotive engine.

   a new sports car with 350 cubes.

7. Slang.,  one of a pair of dice; die.

8. Slang.,  a person who is unaware of or unfamiliar with current ideas, opinions, trends, etc.; square.

verb (used with object)

cubed, cubing 

1. to make into a cube or cubes.

2. to cut into cubes.

3. Mathematics.,  to raise to the third power.

4. to measure the cubic contents of.

5. to tenderize (a thin cut or slice of meat) by scoring the fibers in a pattern of squares.

cube

²

Also cu·bé

[kyoo-bey]

noun

1. any of several tropical plants of the legume family that are used in making fish poisons and insecticides.

cube

¹

/ kjuːb /

noun

1. a solid having six plane square faces in which the angle between two adjacent sides is a right angle

2. the product of three equal factors: the cube of 2 is 2 × 2 × 2 (usually written 2³)

3. something in the form of a cube

   a bath cube

verb

1. to raise (a number or quantity) to the third power

2. (tr) to measure the cubic contents of

3. (tr) to make, shape, or cut (something, esp food) into cubes

4. (tr) to tenderize (meat) by scoring into squares or by pounding with a device which has a surface of metal cubes

cube

²

/ ˈkjuːbeɪ /

noun

1. any of various tropical American plants, esp any of the leguminous genus Lonchocarpus, the roots of which yield rotenone

2. an extract from the roots of these plants: a fish poison and insecticide

cube

1. To multiply a number or a quantity by itself three times; raise to the third power. For example, five cubed is 5 × 5 × 5.

1. The product that results when a number or quantity is cubed. For example, the cube of 5 is 125.

2. A solid having six equal square faces or sides.

Other Word Forms

• cuber noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cube¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cubus, from Latin, from Greek kýbos “cube, die”

Origin of cube²

First recorded in 1920–25; from Latin American Spanish cubé; further origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of cube¹

C16: from Latin cubus die, cube, from Greek kubos

Origin of cube²

American Spanish cubé, of unknown origin

Example Sentences

For decades, Wylie Dufresne worked at the cutting edge of haute cuisine, dreaming up high-concept dishes like deconstructed eggs Benedict or cubes of aerated foie gras.

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I’m pleased to report that the car’s most beguiling bit of cabin jewelry—the faceted gear selector, like a steampunk gaming cube embedded in the center console—made it through to the latest redesign.

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“I would be crying and just cursing, but honestly, to replace one cube is not so difficult,” he said.

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Reach for a rotisserie chicken or sauté fresh cubes in your skillet so you get those savory browned bits that make a cream sauce sing.

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Or, for weeknight ease, think fast, cooked proteins you can scatter on top: shredded rotisserie chicken, cubed steak, smoky black beans, crispy glazed tofu, shredded carnitas or gyro slices.

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