trapezium

Recorded since 1570, learned borrowing from Late Latin trapezium, from Ancient Greek τραπέζιον (trapézion, “irregular quadrilateral”, literally “a little table”), diminutive of τράπεζα (trápeza, “table”). Doublet of trapeze.

• IPA^(key): /tɹəˈpiː.zi.əm/

• (General American, also) IPA^(key): /tɹæˈpi.zi.əm/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

trapezium (plural trapeziums or trapezia)

1. (geometry, British, Australia, New Zealand) A quadrilateral with two sides parallel.

   Hyponym: parallelogram

   1. (restrictively) A quadrilateral with two sides parallel and two sides non-parallel.
2. (geometry, US, dated) A four-sided polygon with no parallel sides and no sides equal; a simple convex irregular quadrilateral.
3. (anatomy) The trapezium bone of the wrist.
4. A region on the ventral side of the brain, either just back of the pons Varolii, or, as in man, covered by the posterior extension of its transverse fibers.

• (geometry): The terms trapezium and trapezoid have swapped meanings in the US and Canada as compared with the rest of the world.

• (archaic) trapeze
• (geometry, British, four-sided polygon with two parallel sides): (US) trapezoid
• (geometry, US, four-sided polygon with no sides parallel and no equal sides): (British) trapezoid, (British) irregular quadrilateral.

• trapeze
• trapeziform
• trapezius
• trapezoid

Borrowed from Late Latin trapezium, from Ancient Greek τραπέζιον (trapézion, “irregular quadrilateral”), diminutive of τράπεζα (trápeza, “table”).

• IPA^(key): /trɑˈpeːzɪʏm/

• Audio:

  (file)

trapezium n (plural trapeziums or trapezia, diminutive trapeziumpje n)

1. (geometry) a trapezium, trapezoid, a quadrilateral with two sides parallel

• trapezoïde

Late Latin; from Ancient Greek τραπέζιον (trapézion, “irregular quadrilateral”, literally “a little table”), diminutive of τράπεζα (trápeza, “table”).

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [traˈpɛz.zi.ũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [t̪raˈpɛd̪.d̪͡z̪i.um]

trapezium n (genitive trapeziī or trapezī); second declension

1. trapezium, trapezoid (four-sided shape with no sides parallel and no equal sides)

Second-declension noun (neuter).

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).