triangle

[trahy-ang-guhl]

noun

1. a closed plane figure having three sides and three angles.

2. a flat triangular piece, usually of plastic, with straight edges, used in connection with a T square for drawing perpendicular lines, geometric figures, etc.

3. any three-cornered or three-sided figure, object, or piece.

   a triangle of land.

4. a musical percussion instrument that consists of a steel triangle, open at one corner, that is struck with a steel rod.

5. a group of three; triad.

6. a situation involving three persons, especially one in which two of them are in love with the third.

7. Astronomy.,  Triangle, the constellation Triangulum.

triangle

/ ˈtraɪˌæŋɡəl /

noun

1. geometry a three-sided polygon that can be classified by angle, as in an acute triangle, or by side, as in an equilateral triangle. Sum of interior angles: 180°; area: 1/ 2 base × height

2. any object shaped like a triangle

3. any situation involving three parties or points of view See also eternal triangle

4. music a percussion instrument consisting of a sonorous metal bar bent into a triangular shape, beaten with a metal stick

5. a group of three

triangle

1. A closed geometric figure consisting of three sides.

Other Word Forms

• triangled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of triangle¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin triangulum, noun use of neuter of triangulus “three-cornered”, tri-, angle ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of triangle¹

C14: from Latin triangulum (noun), from triangulus (adjective), from _tri- + angulus corner

Idioms and Phrases

see eternal triangle.

Example Sentences

Is it fair to say you took some of it into consideration because there was less of an emphasis on a love triangle, at least with Wednesday?

From Los Angeles Times

The pair insist the situation was exaggerated in the edit, with Kieran saying the love triangle was "slightly manufactured".

From BBC

The love triangles these relationships engendered became a rich source for his fiction.

From Los Angeles Times

Behind him was an American flag in a triangle case and a small statue depicting Cain in his days as a Princeton Tigers football player.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s particularly annoying that the end credits insist that the shape of a triangle is, for whatever reason, symbolically significant.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adultery 
• affair 
• courtship 
• dalliance 
• devotion 
• fling 
• flirtation 
• infidelity 
• involvement 
• liaison 
• love 
• passion 
• relationship 
• tryst