hypotenuse

noun hy·pot·e·nuse \ hī-ˈpä-tə-ˌnüs , -ˌnyüz \

variants: or less commonly hypothenuse play \hī-ˈpä-thə-ˌnüs, -ˌnyüz\

Definition of hypotenuse

1 : the side of a right-angled triangle that is opposite the right angle

2 : the length of a hypotenuse

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Recent Examples of hypotenuse from the Web

Those aren’t scientific concepts with formulas, like gravity or the length of a hypotenuse.

— derek thompson, The Atlantic, "Is Bitcoin the Most Obvious Bubble Ever?," 9 Dec. 2017
This car only looks like a fastback from 270 degrees, thanks to the twin hypotenuse of roof pillars.

— dan neil, WSJ, "Mazda’s MX-5 Miata RF: A Peter-Pan Car Grows Up," 12 Oct. 2017
This equation also represents a fundamental property of right triangles — that the square of the longest side, or hypotenuse, is the sum of the squares of the other two shorter sides.

— kenneth chang, New York Times, "Hints of Trigonometry on a 3,700-Year-Old Babylonian Tablet," 29 Aug. 2017
The new 2,700-square-foot space feels like a geometric funhouse — quadrilaterals of wood overhead, an enveloping half-circle over the open kitchen, and the hypotenuse of the bar slanting through the lounge.

— tan vinh, The Seattle Times, "Art of the Table lounge aims high — too high?," 27 Apr. 2017
The length of one side of the slice is the hypotenuse of this triangle.

— rhett allain, WIRED, "Does the Slope of a Pyramid Really Matter?," 20 July 2011

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hypotenuse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of hypotenuse

Origin and Etymology of hypotenuse

Latin hypotenusa, from Greek hypoteinousa, from feminine of hypoteinōn, present participle of hypoteinein to subtend, from hypo- + teinein to stretch — more at thin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1594

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year