rectangle
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rectangle
1565–75; < Medieval Latin rēctangulum, Late Latin rēctiangulum right-angled triangle (noun use of neuter of rēctiangulus having a right angle), equivalent to rēcti- recti- + angulum angle 1
Explanation
A rectangle is any shape with four sides and four right angles. All squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares (all the sides in a square have to be the same length). The rect in rectangle comes from the Latin rectus, which means "right" or "straight." Because of its right angles, a rectangle has straight sides. Another word with the same root is rectitude, which means moral uprightness. A morally upright person is someone who does the right thing, but doing the right thing doesn't make you a square — or a rectangle.
Vocabulary lists containing rectangle
Geometry - Introductory
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The ACT Math Test: Geometry, List 2
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Geometry - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She is also the author of two picture books for children, "Rectangle Time" and "It Simply Can't Be Bedtime."
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026
Get ready for L.A. autumn with Balenciaga’s Hourglass Rectangle sunnies and exaggerated square toe booties.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2023
I tested a free option called Rectangle, which — oh my gosh — offers so many more sizing options for macOS users as to where you can pin a window on the screen.
From The Verge • Jul. 22, 2022
The OXO Good Grips 8 Piece Smart Seal Glass Rectangle Container Set is one of the few sets we looked at that’s made with borosilicate glass, which is a great material for withstanding temperature changes.
From Slate • Sep. 7, 2018
The narrow street and sidewalk in front of them was completely choked with the worst elements of the Rectangle.
From In His Steps by Sheldon, Charles Monroe
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
