triangulate

[adjective trahy-ang-gyuh-lit, -leyt; verb trahy-ang-gyuh-leyt]

adjective

composed of or marked with triangles.

verb (used with object), tri·an·gu·lat·ed, tri·an·gu·lat·ing.

to make triangular.
to divide into triangles.
to survey (an area) by triangulation.

Origin of triangulate

1600–10; < Medieval Latin triangulātus, past participle of triangulāre to make triangles. See triangle, -ate¹

Related formstri·an·gu·la·tor, nounsub·tri·an·gu·late, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for triangulate

Contemporary Examples of triangulate

“I need [my team] to triangulate as many sources as possible and we then accept the most credible,” Francesco Motta said.
ISIS Fighters Are Killing Faster than Statisticians Can Count
Peter Schwartzstein
December 5, 2014
“There is no desire to triangulate or distance ourselves from Democrats,” a senior administration official said.
Inside Obama's Tax-Cut Gamble
Howard Kurtz
December 8, 2010
“Obama May Have to Triangulate Like Clinton If His Party Loses U.S. House,” announced a headline last week on Bloomberg.com.
Exit Rahm. Left Turn Ahead.
Peter Beinart
October 1, 2010

Historical Examples of triangulate

A triangulate is a rectilineall figure compounded of triangles.
The Way To Geometry
Peter Ramus
The sides of a triangulate are two more than are the triangles of which it is made.
The Way To Geometry
Peter Ramus
But in a Triangulate the matter is to be prooved by demonstration.
The Way To Geometry
Peter Ramus
Therefore by a triangle there may be inscribed a triangulate of 6.
The Way To Geometry
Peter Ramus
If I had a transit, I could calculate the depth at any point where the water shows––triangulate with a vertical angle.
Out of the Depths
Robert Ames Bennet

British Dictionary definitions for triangulate

triangulate

verb (traɪˈæŋɡjʊˌleɪt) (tr)

1. to survey by the method of triangulation
2. to calculate trigonometrically
to divide into triangles
to make triangular

adjective (traɪˈæŋɡjʊlɪt, -ˌleɪt)

marked with or composed of triangles

Derived Formstriangulately, adverb

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 triangulate

1833, originally in surveying," from Latin triangulum (see triangle) + -ate (2). Related: Triangulated; triangulating. Figurative use by 1860.