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trapezium

[ truh-pee-zee-uhm ]
/ trəˈpi zi əm /
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noun, plural tra·pe·zi·ums, tra·pe·zi·a [truh-pee-zee-uh]. /trəˈpi zi ə/.

Geometry.
  1. (in Euclidean geometry) any rectilinear quadrilateral plane figure not a parallelogram.
  2. a quadrilateral plane figure of which no two sides are parallel.
  3. British. trapezoid (def. 1a).
Anatomy. a bone in the wrist that articulates with the metacarpal bone of the thumb.

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Origin of trapezium

1545–55; <New Latin <Greek trapézion kind of quadrilateral, literally, small table, equivalent to trápez(a) table (shortening of *tetrapeza object having four feet, equivalent to tetra- four + péza foot, akin to poús, podós;see tetra-, foot) + -ion diminutive suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM trapezium

tra·pe·zi·al, adjective

Words nearby trapezium

trapes, trapeze, trapeze artist, trapezial, trapeziform, trapezium, trapezius, trapezohedron, trapezoid, trapezoidal rule, trapezoid ligament
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for trapezium

British Dictionary definitions for trapezium

trapezium
/ (trəˈpiːzɪəm) /

noun plural -ziums or -zia (-zɪə)

mainly British a quadrilateral having two parallel sides of unequal lengthUsual US and Canadian name: trapezoid
mainly US and Canadian a quadrilateral having neither pair of sides parallel
a small bone of the wrist near the base of the thumb

Derived forms of trapezium

trapezial, adjective

Word Origin for trapezium

C16: via Late Latin from Greek trapezion, from trapeza table
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

Medical definitions for trapezium

trapezium
[ trə-pē′zē-əm ]

n. pl. tra•pe•zi•ums

A quadrilateral having no parallel sides.
A bone in the wrist at the base of the thumb, articulating with the first and second metacarpal, scaphoid, and trapezoid bones.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for trapezium

trapezium
[ trə-pē′zē-əm ]

Plural trapeziums trapezia

A four-sided plane figure having no parallel sides.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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