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cathetus

American

[kath-i-tuhs, kuh-thee-tuhs] / ˈkæθ ɪ təs, kəˈθi təs /

noun

(in an Ionic capital) the vertical guideline through the eye of a volute, from which the form of the volute is determined.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

catheti

plural

Etymology

Origin of cathetus

1565–75; < Latin (noun) < Greek káthetos perpendicular, equivalent to kathe- ( see catheter) + -tos adj. suffix

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.

This will be the size of the eye, and in it draw a diameter on the line of the "cathetus."

From The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio

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.