polygon

American  

[pol-ee-gon] / ˈpɒl iˌgɒn /

noun

1. a figure, especially a closed plane figure, having three or more, usually straight, sides.

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polygon British  

/ pəˈlɪɡənəl, ˈpɒlɪˌɡɒn /

noun

1. a closed plane figure bounded by three or more straight sides that meet in pairs in the same number of vertices, and do not intersect other than at these vertices. The sum of the interior angles is ( n –2) × 180° for n sides; the sum of the exterior angles is 360°. A regular polygon has all its sides and angles equal. Specific polygons are named according to the number of sides, such as triangle, pentagon, etc

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polygon Scientific  

/ pŏl′ē-gŏn′ /

1. A closed plane figure having three or more sides. Triangles, rectangles, and octagons are all examples of polygons.

2. ◆ A regular polygon is a polygon all of whose sides are the same length and all of whose interior angles are the same measure.

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polygon Cultural  

1. In geometry, a closed figure having three or more sides and lying on one plane.

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Other Word Forms

• polygonal adjective
• polygonally adverb
• subpolygonal adjective
• subpolygonally adverb

Etymology

Origin of polygon

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin polygōnum, from Greek polýgōnon, noun use of neuter of polýgōnos “many-angled”; poly-, -gon

Example Sentences

Vast polygons mark forest concessions covering 11 million hectares in the DRC, some of which exist only on paper.

From Barron's

In this method, a circular polygon -- a shape whose edges consist of pieces from straight lines and circular arcs -- is reflected again and again until it fills the entire plane without overlaps or gaps.

From Science Daily

The interface showed purple cow icons confined within red polygons — virtual fences that shock the cattle via collars should they stray.

From Salon

We wander back wet, down to Castillo Square, down to the ghosts of Bar Milano, a stand-in for Bar Torino, and Café Suizo, where the fiesta unravels in insults, a love polygon and fisticuffs.

From Salon

A love triangle stretches to encompass more people and form a shifting polygon.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• shape