hypotenuse

American  

[hahy-pot-n-oos, -yoos] / haɪˈpɒt nˌus, -ˌyus /

noun

Geometry.

1. the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle.

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hypotenuse British  

/ haɪˈpɒtɪˌnjuːz /

noun

1.  hyp.  the side in a right-angled triangle that is opposite the right angle

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hypotenuse Scientific  

/ hī-pŏt′n-o̅o̅s′ /

1. 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.

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hypotenuse Cultural  

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

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Etymology

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 ( thin ) + -ousa feminine present participle suffix

Example Sentences

The hypotenuse of that triangle then has the length √2.

From Scientific American

So could you talk about the hypotenuse of a triangle?

From Salon

The quantity c is the length of the longest side, called the hypotenuse.

From Scientific American

Its strangeness lay in how Leonardo’s sketch showed an adjoining pitcher and, pouring from its spout, a series of circles that formed the triangle’s hypotenuse.

From New York Times

The triangle, it must be said, is beautifully balanced, but Groff for me is the emotional hypotenuse of a production that I can’t wait to see again after it moves to Broadway in the fall.

From Los Angeles Times