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hypotenuse

[hahy-pot-n-oos, -yoos]

noun Geometry.

the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle.

Origin:
1565–75; earlier hypotenusa < Latin hypotēnūsa < Greek hypoteínousa (grámmē) subtending (line) (feminine present participle of hypoteínein to subtend), equivalent to hypo- hypo- + tein- stretch (see thin) + -ousa feminine present participle suffix

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To hypotenuse

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Hypotenuse is always a great word to know.

So is ort. Does it mean:

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

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Example Sentences

The hypotenuse of a right triangle is not always the shortest distance between the two points that define it.

In a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

The mathematician whose theorem calculates the length of the hypotenuse began a philosophy that gave special meaning to numbers.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

hypotenuse (haɪˈpɒtɪˌnjuːz)

—n
	hyp the side in a right-angled triangle that is opposite the right angle

[C16: from Latin hypotēnūsa, from Greek hupoteinousa grammē subtending line, from hupoteinein to subtend, from hypo- + teinein to stretch]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

hypotenuse

1571, from L.L. hypotenusa, from Gk. hypoteinousa "stretching under" (the right angle), fem. prp. of hypoteinein, from hypo- "under" (see sub-) + teinein "to stretch" (see tenet).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

hypotenuse

(hī-pŏt'n-

s') Pronunciation Key
The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle. It is the longest side, and the square of its length is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

hypotenuse [(heye-pot-n-oohs, heye-pot-n-yoohs)]

In a right triangle (a triangle that has one right angle), the side opposite the right angle. (See Pythagorean theorem.)

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Computing Dictionary