triangle

English Online Dictionary. What means triangle‎? What does triangle mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English triangle, from Old French triangle, from Latin triangulum, noun use of adjective triangulus (“three-cornered, having three angles”), from trēs (“three”) + angulus (“corner, angle”), equivalent to tri- +‎ angle.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹaɪəŋɡəl/, /ˈtɹaɪˌæŋɡəl/
• (US) enPR: trī'-ăng-gəl, IPA^(key): /ˈtɹaɪˌæŋɡəl/
• Rhymes: -aɪæŋɡəl
• Hyphenation: tri‧an‧gle
• Rhymes: -æŋɡəl

Noun

triangle (plural triangles)

2. (geometry) A polygon with three sides and three angles.
3. (US, Canada) A set square.
4. (music) A percussion instrument made by forming a metal rod into a triangular shape which is open at one angle. It is suspended from a string and hit with a metal bar to make a resonant sound.
5. (cue sports) A triangular piece of equipment used for gathering the balls into the formation required by the game being played.
6. A love triangle.
   • 2009, Neil McDonald, Quadrant, November 2009, No. 461 (Volume LIII, Number 11), Quadrant Magazine Limited, page 104:

     One of the writers' most pleasing inventions was to treat the triangle love story as comedy.

7. (systemics) The structure of systems composed with three interrelated objects.
8. A draughtsman's square in the form of a right-angled triangle.
9. (historical, usually in the plural) A frame formed of three poles stuck in the ground and united at the top, to which people were bound for corporal punishment.
10. Any of various large papilionid butterflies of the genus Graphium.

    Synonym: bluebottle

11. (rail transport) A triangular formation of railway tracks, with a curve on at least one side.

    Synonym: wye

Synonyms

• (polygon): threeside, trigon (rare)
• (love triangle): love triangle, menage à trois
• See also Thesaurus:triangle
• See also △ (symbol)

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• Triangle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Triangle (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Triangle (instrument) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• INTEGRAL, alerting, altering, integral, relating, tanglier, teraglin

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin triangulum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [tɾiˈaŋ.ɡlə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [tɾiˈaŋ.ɡle]

Noun

triangle m (plural triangles)

1. (geometry) triangle
2. (music) triangle

Related terms

• triangular

Further reading

• “triangle” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “triangle”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “triangle” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “triangle” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin triangulum. By surface analysis, tri- +‎ angle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʁi.jɑ̃ɡl/

Noun

triangle m (plural triangles)

1. (geometry) triangle (polygon)

   triangle équilatéral ― equilateral triangle

   triangle isocèle ― isosceles triangle

2. (music) triangle (percussion instrument)

Derived terms

• triangle amoureux
• triangle de sécurité
• triangulaire

Further reading

• “triangle”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• intégral