rectangle

noun

a parallelogram having four right angles.

Origin:
1565–75; < Medieval Latin rēctangulum, Late Latin rēctiangulum right-angled triangle (noun use of neuter of rēctiangulus having a right angle), equivalent to rēcti- recti- + angulum angle¹

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary

rectangle (ˈrɛkˌtæŋɡ^əl)

—n
	Compare rhombus a parallelogram having four right angles

[C16: from Medieval Latin rectangulum, from Latin rectus straight + angulus angle]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Rectangle is always a great word to know.

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an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

rectangle

1571, from M.Fr. rectangle, from rect-, comb. form of L. rectus "right" + O.Fr. angle (see angle). M.L. rectangulum meant "a triangle having a right angle" (7c.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

rectangle

(rěk'tāng'gəl) Pronunciation Key
A four-sided plane figure with four right angles.

Example sentences

Click and drag a rectangle around your state to zoom in.

She carefully arrayed slices of corned beef on a small rectangle of buttered

bread, draping the meat over the sides.

Backlit wings show a light rectangle at the base of the primaries.

Don't always use the camera rectangle to frame your picture.

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conjugate axis emerald cut frame interval keyhole oblique circular cylinder

Matching Quote

"Speedometers, for example, may be digital and give a numeric readout, or analog and produce a lengthening rectangle (or rotating pointer). The analog output is less precise, but puts one's speed in some perspective. An 82 and a 28 are almost indistinguishable, but a long rectangle is quite distinct from a short one, and if its length is changing, that too is manifest. The same trade-off is present with clocks and watches, digital timepieces producing precision, but lacking in all the associations a clockface can engender."

-John Allen Paulos

rectangle

rec·tan·gle