adjective
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shaped like a rectangle
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having or relating to right angles
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mutually perpendicular
rectangular coordinates
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having a base or section shaped like a rectangle
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rectangular
1615–25; < Medieval Latin rēctangul ( um ) rectangle + -ar 1
Explanation
In geometry, something that is rectangular had four sides and four right angles. Cereal boxes, dollar bills, and many cell phones have a rectangular shape. Anything shaped like a rectangle is rectangular. Your backyard may be rectangular, and your brother's oversized suit jacket might give his body a somewhat rectangular shape. The most important aspect of something that makes it rectangular is those four right angles, and the word itself is rooted in the Latin rectus, "right," and the Old French angle, "angle."
Vocabulary lists containing rectangular
Geometry - Introductory
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Geometry - Middle School
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Number and Operations: Fractions
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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.
"We are going to do our best to keep focused and confident," Marta said at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
From BBC • Aug. 1, 2023
Adriana Leon’s second-half strike at Perth’s Rectangular Stadium boosted Olympic champion Canada’s hopes of advancing to the round of 16 by moving to the top of Group B.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 26, 2023
Another safety tool to implement is Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons.
From Washington Post • Aug. 5, 2022
Rectangular patterns develop in areas that have very little topography and a system of bedding planes, fractures, or faults that form a rectangular network.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
Plain Rectangular Box Kites.—The plain box kite is easy to make and a good flier.
From Things To Make by Williams, Archibald
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.
