right triangle

American  

noun

1. a triangle having a right angle (contrasted with oblique triangle).

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right triangle British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): right-angled triangle.  a triangle one angle of which is a right angle

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right triangle Scientific  

1. A triangle having a right angle.

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right triangle Cultural  

1. A triangle that contains a right angle.

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Etymology

Origin of right triangle

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

In this equation, a, b and c represent the lengths of the three sides of a right triangle, a triangle with a 90-degree angle between two of its sides.

From Scientific American • Apr. 10, 2023

Imagine a right triangle with one side that lies flat against a table and another that shoots straight up from where it meets the first side at a right angle.

From Scientific American • Apr. 10, 2023

It represents the hypotenuse of the right triangle.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 12, 2022

You may also remember the simple equation, discovered by Pythagoras thousands of years ago, that describes a right triangle: A squared + B squared = C squared.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 12, 2022

The waving man at the peak of the right triangle is the climax of this mood of rising hope and advancing motion.

From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell