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hypotenuse

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

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

hypotaxis, hypotelorism, hypotension, hypotensive, hypotensor, hypotenuse, hypoth., hypothalamic infundibulum, hypothalamohypophysial portal system, hypothalamus, hypothallus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for hypotenuse

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.