quadrilateral

[kwod-ruh-lat-er-uh l]

See more synonyms for quadrilateral on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having four sides.

noun

a plane figure having four sides and four angles.
something of this form.
Geometry.
1. a figure formed by four straight lines that have six points of intersection.
2. a polygon with four sides.
the space enclosed between and defended by four fortresses.

Origin of quadrilateral

1640–50; < Latin quadrilater(us) four-sided + -al¹. See quadri-, lateral

Related formsquad·ri·lat·er·al·ly, adverbquad·ri·lat·er·al·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for quadrilateral

square, rectangle, parallelogram, quadrilateral, rhombus

Examples from the Web for quadrilateral

Historical Examples of quadrilateral

They form the quadrilateral wherein Daudet's fame is secure.
The Nabob, Volume 1 (of 2)
Alphonse Daudet
A quadrilateral figure that has only two of its four sides parallel.
The Sailor's Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
Thus, in the circle and the quadrilateral (the parts are not circles or quadrilaterals).
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 2
Plotinos (Plotinus)
The walled part of the town is a quadrilateral with faces of about 1200 yds.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 7
Various
The quadrilateral Isis-headed capital, as at Denderah, was often used.
A Manual of the Historical Development of Art
G. G. (Gustavus George) Zerffi

British Dictionary definitions for quadrilateral

quadrilateral

adjective

having or formed by four sides

noun

Also called: tetragon a polygon having four sides. A complete quadrilateral consists of four lines and their six points of intersection

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 quadrilateral

"four-sided," 1640s, with -al (1) + Latin quadrilaterus, from quadri- "four" (see quadri-) + latus (genitive lateris) "side" (see oblate (n.)). As an adjective from 1650s. Related: Quadrilaterally.

quadrilateral in Science

quadrilateral

[kwŏd′rə-lăt′ər-əl]

A polygon that has four sides, such as a rectangle or rhombus.