triangulation

[ trahy-ang-gyuh-ley-shuhn ]

/ traɪˌæŋ gyəˈleɪ ʃən /

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noun Surveying, Navigation.

a technique for establishing the distance between any two points, or the relative position of two or more points, by using such points as vertices of a triangle or series of triangles, such that each triangle has a side of known or measurable length (base, or base line ) that permits the size of the angles of the triangle and the length of its other two sides to be established by observations taken either upon or from the two ends of the base line.

the triangles thus formed and measured.

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Origin of triangulation

First recorded in 1810–20; from Medieval Latin triangulātiōn- (stem of triangulātiō ) “the making of triangles”; see origin at triangulate, -ion

Words nearby triangulation

triangle of forces, triangular, triangular matrix, triangular trade, triangulate, triangulation, triangulation station, Triangulum, Triangulum Australe, triannual, triapsidal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use triangulation in a sentence

The triangulation of the Winchcombe fireball, orbital analysis, recovery, and the geochemical techniques used to investigate this space rock’s history required a huge amount of teamwork.
A Pristine Chunk of Space Rock Found Within Hours of Hitting Earth Can Tell Us About the Birth of the Solar System|Eleanor K. Sansom|November 20, 2022|Singularity Hub
It just means that you have to do more triangulation than people may appreciate.
What COVID Positivity Rates Can (And Can’t) Tell Us|Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com)|February 10, 2022|FiveThirtyEight
During the event, Williams was talking with two physicists who mentioned a sequence of numbers related to triangulations of the amplituhedron.
A Mathematician’s Unanticipated Journey Through the Physical World|Kevin Hartnett|December 16, 2020|Quanta Magazine
This strange triangulation exposes the farce of negotiations.
Jonathan Pollard Means Israeli-American Squabbling Instead of Israeli-Palestinian Negotiation|Raphael Magarik|July 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST

This is triangulation, except that in this case most of the public is against Obama.
A Republican Opera Buffa|Michael Tomasky|April 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Gone was the timid triangulation that danced around and away from the liberal ideal.
Bob Shrum’s Winners & Losers of 2012|Robert Shrum|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But there is no talk of triangulation; instead just a fact-defying rush to reinforce old narratives.
Partisan Spin Denies Obama Credit for Immigration Success|John Avlon|April 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Even while ratcheting up his rhetoric against the GOP, Obama also engaged in a bit of Clintonian triangulation.
Obama Comes Out Swinging|Howard Kurtz|June 29, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He made application at head-quarters for a theodolite to make a triangulation of the distance, but was refused its use.
The Boys of '61|Charles Carleton Coffin.
The calculation of these distances is made by "triangulation."
Astronomy for Amateurs|Camille Flammarion
The method of survey planned was a combination of graphic triangulation and traverse with the micro-meteralidade.
The Andes of Southern Peru|Isaiah Bowman
Micrometer traverse and graphic triangulation, with contours, field scale 1:90,000.
The Andes of Southern Peru|Isaiah Bowman
It played thus, steadily, for ten minutes, giving time to obtain an accurate measurement by triangulation.
Wonders of the Yellowstone|James Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for triangulation

triangulation

/ (traɪˌæŋɡjʊˈleɪʃən) /

noun

a method of surveying in which an area is divided into triangles, one side (the base line) and all angles of which are measured and the lengths of the other lines calculated trigonometrically

the network of triangles so formed

the fixing of an unknown point, as in navigation, by making it one vertex of a triangle, the other two being known

chess a key manoeuvre in the endgame in which the king moves thrice in a triangular path to leave the opposing king with the move and at a disadvantage

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

Scientific definitions for triangulation

triangulation

[ trī-ăng′gyə-lā′shən ]

A method of determining the relative positions of points in space by measuring the distances, and sometimes angles, between those points and other reference points whose positions are known. Triangulation often involves the use of trigonometry. It is commonly used in the navigation of aircraft and boats, and is the method used in the Global Positioning System , in which the reference points are satellites.