cube

[kyoob]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cube ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

an object, either solid or hollow, having this form or a form approximating it: a cube of cheese; plastic storage cubes.

sugar cube.

flashcube.

Mathematics. the third power of a quantity, expressed as a3 = a·a·a.

Informal. cubic inch, especially as a measure of the displacement of an automotive engine: a new sports car with 350 cubes.

Slang. one of a pair of dice; die.

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

verb (used with object), cubed, cub·ing.

to make into a cube or cubes.

to cut into cubes.

Mathematics. to raise to the third power.

to measure the cubic contents of.

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

Origin of cube

1350–1400; Middle English cubus < Latin < Greek kýbos cube, die

Related formscub·er, noun

cube

[kyoo-bey]

noun

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

Also cu·bé

[kyoo-bey] /kyuˈbeɪ/.

Origin of cube

First recorded in 1920–25; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cube

die, hexahedron

Examples from the Web for cube

Contemporary Examples of cube

Geometrically, it is a cube being forced into a rhomboid by the fault.
Silicon Valley Mansions, Swallowed Alive
Geoff Manaugh
November 8, 2014
The cube was placed outside for passersby to see as part of the Venice Biennale in Venice, Italy.
Lady Gaga, John Lennon & More Celebs Doing Performance Art (VIDEO)
Rachel Osman , Victoria Kezra
August 9, 2013
[I]n Westeros, the Lannisters have the cube of gold and the Tyrells with the rich farmland of the Reach have the real resources.
Land is More Important Than Gold
Justin Green
April 17, 2013
Whisk the cold butter cubes into the sauce, a cube at a time, until all the butter is incorporated.
5 Iconic Recipes From an Iconic Chef
Emeril Lagasse
May 12, 2011
And another asked for cube, fourth and fifth roots of a six-digit number.
The Other World Cup
Alex Bellos
June 11, 2010

Historical Examples of cube

Professor Johnson placed the cube gently on the machine's platform.
Two Timer
Fredric Brown
The square of any such number represents a surface, the cube a solid.
Timaeus
Plato
Keep your eyes on me, for to look at the cube spells danger!
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930
Various
The second cube came back unchanged, except that it was newer, shinier.
Hall of Mirrors
Fredric Brown
I flicked the switch and opened the door, expecting to find the cube vanished.
Hall of Mirrors
Fredric Brown

British Dictionary definitions for cube

cube

noun

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

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

something in the form of a cubea bath cube

verb

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

(tr) to measure the cubic contents of

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

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

Derived Formscuber, noun

Word Origin for cube

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

cube

noun

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

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

Word Origin for cube

American Spanish cubé, of unknown origin

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

Word Origin and History for cube

1550s, from Middle French cube (13c.) and directly from Latin cubus, from Greek kybos "a cube, a six-sided die, vertebra," perhaps from PIE root *keu(b)- "to bend, turn." Mathematical sense is from 1550s in English (it also was in the ancient Greek word: the Greeks threw with three dice; the highest possible roll was three sixes).

1580s in the mathematical sense; 1947 with meaning "cut in cubes," from cube (n.). The Greek verbal derivatives from the noun all referred to dice-throwing and gambling. Related: Cubed; cubing.

cube in Science

cube

[kyōōb]

Verb

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

Noun

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

A solid having six equal square faces or sides.