geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is ...

, a

polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...

is traditionally a

plane Plane(s) most often refers to: * Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft * Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface Plane or planes may also refer to: Biology * Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant * ''Planes' ...

figure Figure may refer to: General *A shape, drawing, depiction, or geometric configuration *Figure (wood), wood appearance *Figure (music), distinguished from musical motif *Noise figure, in telecommunication *Dance figure, an elementary dance pattern ...

that is bounded by a finite chain of straight line segments closing in a loop to form a closed chain. These segments are called its ''edges'' or ''sides'', and the points where two of the edges meet are the polygon's '' vertices'' (singular: vertex) or ''corners''. The word ''polygon'' comes from

Late Latin Late Latin ( la, Latinitas serior) is the scholarly name for the form of Literary Latin of late antiquity.Roberts (1996), p. 537. English dictionary definitions of Late Latin date this period from the , and continuing into the 7th century in t ...

''polygōnum'' (a noun), from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

πολύγωνον (''polygōnon/polugōnon''), noun use of neuter of πολύγωνος (''polygōnos/polugōnos'', the masculine adjective), meaning "many-angled". Individual polygons are named (and sometimes classified) according to the number of sides, combining a

-derived

numerical prefix Numeral or number prefixes are prefixes derived from numerals or occasionally other numbers. In English and many other languages, they are used to coin numerous series of words. For example: * unicycle, bicycle, tricycle (1-cycle, 2-cycle, 3-cyc ...

with the suffix ''-gon'', e.g. '' pentagon'', ''

dodecagon In geometry, a dodecagon or 12-gon is any twelve-sided polygon. Regular dodecagon A regular dodecagon is a figure with sides of the same length and internal angles of the same size. It has twelve lines of reflective symmetry and rotational sym ...

''. The

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

quadrilateral In geometry a quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon, having four edges (sides) and four corners (vertices). The word is derived from the Latin words ''quadri'', a variant of four, and ''latus'', meaning "side". It is also called a tetragon, ...

and

nonagon In geometry, a nonagon () or enneagon () is a nine-sided polygon or 9-gon. The name ''nonagon'' is a prefix hybrid formation, from Latin (''nonus'', "ninth" + ''gonon''), used equivalently, attested already in the 16th century in French ''nonogo ...

are exceptions, although the regular forms ''trigon'', ''tetragon'', and ''enneagon'' are sometimes encountered as well.

Greek numbers

Polygons are primarily named by prefixes from Ancient Greek numbers.

Systematic polygon names

To construct the name of a polygon with more than 20 and fewer than 100 edges, combine the prefixes as follows. The "kai" connector is not included by some authors. Extending the system up to 999 is expressed with these prefixes; the names over 99 no longer correspond to how they are actually expressed in Greek.

List of n-gons by Greek numerical prefixes

References

NAMING POLYGONS
* Benjamin Franklin Finkel
A Mathematical Solution Book Containing Systematic Solutions to Many of the Most Difficult Problems
1888 {{Polygons

Polygons In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...

Greek numbers

Systematic polygon names

List of n-gons by Greek numerical prefixes

See also

References