dodecahedron

noun

do·​deca·​he·​dron (ˌ)dō-ˌde-kə-ˈhē-drən 

plural dodecahedrons or dodecahedra (ˌ)dō-ˌde-kə-ˈhē-drə 

: a solid having 12 plane faces

dodecahedral

(ˌ)dō-ˌde-kə-ˈhē-drəl 

adjective

Examples of dodecahedron in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The dodecahedron, on the other hand, was associated with the aether and the starry sky. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026

But many famous convex polyhedra — for instance the dodecahedron, or the truncated icosahedron, the shape that forms a soccer ball — are highly symmetric and difficult to analyze. — Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

The book included many illustrations by his friend Leonardo da Vinci, including this 3-D shape (a dodecahedron) made from identical pentagons. — Steven Strogatz, New York Times, 16 June 2025

Many ancient Roman artifacts have been unearthed in Belgium in recent years, including a dodecahedron fragment and a cremation cemetery containing a skeleton assembled from the bones of eight people. — Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 May 2025

The dodecahedron was sitting among the ruins of a Roman pit and was likely placed there about 1,700 years ago. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024

The design is based on an axisymmetric dodecahedron net that is folded by an external assembly linkage. — Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 20 July 2018

Word History

Etymology

Greek dōdekaedron, from dōdeka- + -edron -hedron

First Known Use

circa 1570, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dodecahedron

• icosahedron
• octahedron
• polyhedron
• tetrahedron
• sanhedrin

Kids Definition

dodecahedron

noun

do·​deca·​he·​dron (ˌ)dō-ˌdek-ə-ˈhē-drən 

plural dodecahedrons or dodecahedra -drə 

: a polyhedron that has 12 faces