Hexahedron
/ˌhɛksəˈhiːdrən/noun
A solid geometric figure with six flat faces.
Did you know?The second half comes from Greek *hedra*, “seat” or “base,” the same ancient root behind words like *cathedral* and *hedron* in geometry, where shapes were imagined as objects resting on a foundation.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
hex
“six”
Ancient Greek
Greek
hedra
“seat, base, chair, or face of a solid”
Late Greek
Greek
hexaedron
“a six-faced solid”
Late Latin
Latin
hexaedrum
“a geometric solid with six faces”
16th Century
English
hexahedron
“a six-faced solid figure”
Modern English
English
hexahedron
“a polyhedron with six flat faces”
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