Definition:Polyhedron/Linguistic Note

Linguistic Note on Polyhedron

The word polyhedron comes directly from the Classical Greek πολύεδρον:

polys (πολύς), meaning many

hedron (a form of ἕδρα), meaning base or seat.

The technically correct plural of polyhedron is polyhedra, but the word polyhedrons can often be found.

Sources

• 1989: Ephraim J. Borowski and Jonathan M. Borwein: Dictionary of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): -hedron
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): polyhedron: 1. (plural polyhedra)
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): polyhedron: 1. (plural polyhedra)
• 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): -hedron