cubic

[ kyoo-bik ]

/ ˈkyu bɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cubic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having three dimensions; solid.

having the form of a cube; cubical.

pertaining to the measurement of volume: the cubic contents of a vessel.

pertaining to a unit of linear measure that is multiplied by itself twice to form a unit of measure for volume: cubic foot; cubic centimeter; cubic inch; cubic meter.

Mathematics. of or relating to the third degree.

Crystallography. belonging or pertaining to the isometric system of crystallization.

noun

Mathematics. a cubic polynomial or equation.

RELATED WORDS

square

Nearby words

Origin of cubic

1490–1500; earlier cubik < Latin cubicus < Greek kybikós. See cube¹, -ic

Related formscu·bic·i·ty

[kyoo-bis-i-tee] /kyuˈbɪs ɪ ti/, nounsub·cu·bic, adjectiveun·cu·bic, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for cubic

Each year their fields need at least 53 billion cubic meters of water for irrigation.
The Aral Sea's Disappearing Act|Anna Nemtsova|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The conflict in Ukraine caused Gazprom to cut production volumes from 496.4 billion cubic meters to 463 billion cubic meters.
In Ukraine, Winter Is Coming|Anna Nemtsova|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The daughter had also been exposed and was comatose before she and her mother each received A 250 cubic centimeter transfusion.
Infected Ebola Doctor Kent Brantly Is an Endangered Hero|Michael Daly|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She grew increasingly ill despite a 450 cubic centimeter transfusion and became comatose after five days.
Infected Ebola Doctor Kent Brantly Is an Endangered Hero|Michael Daly|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

They make a 0.75 cubic foot bag of firewood blazing with a Hotsticks logo.
Brooklyn’s Booming Firewood Industry|Dale Eisinger|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A cubic inch of mercury at this temperature has been ascertained to weigh 0·48967 lbs.
A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments|Henry Negretti
The square and cubic units are the squares and cubes of the linear units.
Soap-Making Manual|E. G. Thomssen
Calculating an average monthly excavation of a million cubic yards, the task would have required 17 years to complete.
The Panama Canal|Frederic Jennings Haskin
The block of marble from which it was chiselled, contained 200 cubic feet, and weighed upwards of 25 tons.
The Centenary Garland|Anonymous
Some cubic centimetres of milk were vigorously swallowed, and soon afterward the breast of a nurse was taken.
The Mind of the Child, Part II|W. Preyer

British Dictionary definitions for cubic

cubic

/ (ˈkjuːbɪk) /

adjective

having the shape of a cube

having three dimensions
denoting or relating to a linear measure that is raised to the third powera cubic metre Abbreviation: cu., c

maths of, relating to, or containing a variable to the third power or a term in which the sum of the exponents of the variables is three

Also: isometric, regular crystallog relating to or belonging to the crystal system characterized by three equal perpendicular axes. The unit cell of cubic crystals is a cube with a lattice point at each corner (simple cubic) and one in the cube's centre (body-centred cubic), or a lattice point at each corner and one at the centre of each face (face-centred cubic)

noun

maths

a cubic equation, such as x ³ + x + 2 = 0
a cubic term or expression

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 cubic

cubic

adj.

1550s, from Middle French cubique (14c.), from Latin cubicus, from Greek kybikos, from kybos "cube" (see cube (n.)). Related: Cubical.

Science definitions for cubic

cubic

[ kyōō′bĭk ]

Referring to a volume unit of measurement.

Involving a number or a variable that has been raised to the third power.

Relating to a crystal having three axes of equal length intersecting at right angles. The mineral pyrite has cubic crystals. Also called isometric See illustration at crystal.