Rhomboid
/ˈrɒm.bɔɪd/noun
A four-sided geometric figure with opposite sides parallel and adjacent sides unequal, or something shaped like it.
Did you know?Rhomboid ultimately comes from Greek rhombos, a spinning object used in rituals and magic, so this geometry word carries the ghost of an ancient enchanted spinner.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ῥόμβος (rhombos)
“A spinning object or wheel, and later a lozenge-shaped figure”
Ancient Greek
Greek
-ειδής (-eidēs)
“Having the form of, resembling”
Late Latin
Latin
rhomboides
“Rhomboid; rhomb-shaped”
14th–16th Century
Middle French / Medieval Latin
rhomboïde
“Rhomb-shaped, having the form of a rhombus”
Modern English
English
rhomboid
“A geometric shape resembling a rhombus but not necessarily a rhombus itself”