hypotenuse

[ hahy-pot-n-oos, -yoos ]

/ haɪˈpɒt nˌus, -ˌyus /

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noun Geometry.

the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle.

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Also hypothenuse.

Origin of hypotenuse

1565–75; earlier hypotenusa<Latin hypotēnūsa<Greek hypoteínousa (grámmē) subtending (line) (feminine present participle of hypoteínein to subtend), equivalent to hypo-hypo- + tein- stretch (see thin) + -ousa feminine present participle suffix

Words nearby hypotenuse

hyposulphite, hyposulphurous acid, hypotaxis, hypotension, hypotensive, hypotenuse, hypoth., hypothalamus, hypothallus, hypothec, hypotheca

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hypotenuse in a sentence

That’s because 65 happened to be the length of the hypotenuse for three distinct Pythagorean triples with legs that formed an arithmetic sequence.
Can You Reach The Target Number?|Zach Wissner-Gross|April 1, 2022|FiveThirtyEight
One week later he decided that he should have cupped his hands and shouted, "You hypotenuse hussy!"
The Boy Grew Older|Heywood Broun
Mr. Isadore Binswanger inserted a toothpick between his lips and stretched his limbs out at a hypotenuse from the chair.
Just Around the Corner|Fannie Hurst
Thus we demonstrate that the surface of a regular polygon may be found by multiplying the perimeter by half the hypotenuse.
Montessori Elementary Materials|Maria Montessori

First take out the two rectangles formed on the hypotenuse; place them in the two lateral grooves, and lower the triangle.
Montessori Elementary Materials|Maria Montessori
Presently he turned again, to return cross-lots along the hypotenuse of the triangle.
Sudden Jim|Clarence Budington Kelland

British Dictionary definitions for hypotenuse

hypotenuse

/ (haɪˈpɒtɪˌnjuːz) /

noun

the side in a right-angled triangle that is opposite the right angleAbbreviation: hyp

Word Origin for hypotenuse

C16: from Latin hypotēnūsa, from Greek hupoteinousa grammē subtending line, from hupoteinein to subtend, from hypo- + teinein to stretch

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

Scientific definitions for hypotenuse

hypotenuse

[ hī-pŏt′n-ōōs′ ]

The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle. It is the longest side, and the square of its length is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides.

Cultural definitions for hypotenuse

hypotenuse

[ (heye-pot-n-oohs, heye-pot-n-yoohs) ]

In a right triangle (a triangle that has one right angle), the side opposite the right angle. (See Pythagorean theorem.)