trapezoid

American  

[trap-uh-zoid] / ˈtræp əˌzɔɪd /

noun

1. Geometry.

   1. a quadrilateral plane figure having two parallel and two nonparallel sides.

   2. British. trapezium.

2. Anatomy. a bone in the wrist that articulates with the metacarpal bone of the forefinger.

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adjective

1. Geometry. Also trapezoidal. of, relating to, or having the form of a trapezoid.

trapezoid British  

/ ˈtræpɪˌzɔɪd /

noun

1. a quadrilateral having neither pair of sides parallel

2. Also called: trapezium.  a quadrilateral having two parallel sides of unequal length

3. a small bone of the wrist near the base of the index finger

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trapezoid Scientific  

/ trăp′ĭ-zoid′ /

1. A four-sided plane figure having two parallel sides.

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trapezoid Cultural  

1. A four-sided polygon in which two sides are parallel and two are not.

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Other Word Forms

• posttrapezoid
  adjective
• subtrapezoid
  adjective
• subtrapezoidal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of trapezoid

First recorded in 1695–1705; from New Latin trapezoīdēs, from Late Greek trapezoeidḗs “trapezium-like”; see trapezium, -oid

Explanation

In geometry a trapezoid is a four-sided figure with two sides that are parallel. Imagine taking an equilateral triangle and chopping its tip off so that it's made up of two parallel lines on top and bottom and you've got a trapezoid. The word trapezoid comes from the Greek trapeza meaning "table" and -oeides meaning "shaped." Think of a trapezoid as table-shaped. It has a pair of parallel sides that are also known as the bases of the figure. To find the area of a trapezoid, take the average of the bases and multiply it by the height. In anatomy, the trapezoid is the smallest of the eight small bones in the wrist.

Example Sentences

The Cotton declaration was first reported by a disinformation researcher who posts on Twitter under the name Trapezoid of Discovery.

From Washington Post • Jun. 12, 2022

Rutgers alumnus Gary Noll, born deaf, already had been a mainstay at the Trapezoid when he asked the school a few years back to help him by installing public-address closed captioning.

From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2020

Trapezoid -al: a four-sided plane of which two sides are parallel and two are not.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.