octahedron

noun

oc·​ta·​he·​dron ˌäk-tə-ˈhē-drən How to pronounce octahedron (audio)
plural octahedrons or octahedra ˌäk-tə-ˈhē-drə How to pronounce octahedron (audio)
: a solid bounded by eight plane faces

Illustration of octahedron

Illustration of octahedron

Examples of octahedron in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Each cluster consists of an octahedron made of six rhenium atoms nestled within a cube made of eight selenium atoms, with a chlorine atom on the top and bottom of the cluster. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Nov. 2023 They are defined by symmetry, and the Greeks knew that there were only five possibilities meeting the criteria: the tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron and icosahedron. Eugenia Cheng, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2017 Diamonds, which form eight-sided crystals called octahedrons, can be billions of years old, Dr. Harlow said. C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 12 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'octahedron.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Greek oktaedron, from okta- + -edron -hedron

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of octahedron was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near octahedron

Cite this Entry

“Octahedron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/octahedron. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

octahedron

noun
oc·​ta·​he·​dron ˌäk-tə-ˈhē-drən How to pronounce octahedron (audio)
plural octahedrons or octahedra -drə How to pronounce octahedron (audio)
: a polyhedron that has eight faces

More from Merriam-Webster on octahedron

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!