pons asinorum
[ as-uh-nawr-uhm, -nohr- ]
/ ˌæs əˈnɔr əm, -ˈnoʊr- /
noun Geometry.
a geometric proposition that if a triangle has two of its sides equal, the angles opposite these sides are also equal: so named from the difficulty experienced by beginners in mastering it. Euclid, 1:5.
QUIZZES
WHO SAID IT: A QUIZ ON PRESIDENTIAL WIT AND WISDOM
Think you know your presidents? Take this quiz and see if you can match the style, wit, and ideology of these memorable lines to the right POTUS.
Question 1 of 9
“I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, 10 angels swearing I was right would make no difference.”
Also called asses' bridge .
Origin of pons asinorum
First recorded in 1745–55; from Latin pōns asinōrum “bridge of asses”
Words nearby pons asinorum
Pongidae, pongo, poniard, ponograph, pons, pons asinorum, Ponselle, pons Varolii, pont, Ponta Delgada, Ponta Grossa
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for pons asinorum
pons asinorum
/ (ˌæsɪˈnɔːrəm) /
noun
the geometric proposition that the angles opposite the two equal sides of an isosceles triangle are equal
Word Origin for pons asinorum
Latin: bridge of asses, referring originally to the fifth proposition of the first book of Euclid, which was considered difficult for students to learn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012