Dictionary.com

trapezoid

[ trap-uh-zoid ]
/ ˈtræp əˌzɔɪd /
Save This Word!

noun

Geometry.
  1. a quadrilateral plane figure having two parallel and two nonparallel sides.
  2. British. trapezium (def. 1b).
Anatomy. a bone in the wrist that articulates with the metacarpal bone of the forefinger.

adjective

Also trap·e·zoi·dal. Geometry. of, relating to, or having the form of a trapezoid.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
it's
its
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of trapezoid

1695–1705; <New Latin trapezoīdēs<Late Greek trapezoeidḗs trapeziumlike. See trapezium, -oid

OTHER WORDS FROM trapezoid

post·trap·e·zoid, adjectivesub·trap·e·zoid, adjectivesub·trap·e·zoi·dal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for trapezoid

British Dictionary definitions for trapezoid

trapezoid
/ (ˈtræpɪˌzɔɪd) /

noun

a quadrilateral having neither pair of sides parallel
Also called: (Brit, Austral., NZ, and South African) trapezium US and Canadian a quadrilateral having two parallel sides of unequal length
a small bone of the wrist near the base of the index finger

Word Origin for trapezoid

C18: from New Latin trapezoidēs, from Late Greek trapezoeidēs trapezium-shaped, 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 trapezoid

trapezoid
[ trăp′ĭ-zoid′ ]

n.

A quadrilateral having two parallel sides.
A small bone in the wrist that is situated near the base of the index finger and that articulates with the second metacarpal, trapezium, capitate, and scaphoid bones.

Other words from trapezoid

trap′e•zoid′ null adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for trapezoid

trapezoid
[ trăp′ĭ-zoid′ ]

A four-sided plane figure having two parallel sides.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for trapezoid

trapezoid
[ (trap-uh-zoyd) ]

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
What's This Word?