WordGarden.iopentagonal
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Meanings
Adjective
having five sides or angles
Beyond the definition
Imagine drawing a shape with five straight sides and five corners: that is a pentagonal shape. The word is mostly used in geometry, design, and everyday descriptions of objects. You might use it for a sign, a tile, a building feature, or the famous Pentagon building in Washington, D.C. In simple terms, if something has the shape of a pentagon or has a five-sided face, it can be described as pentagonal.
The word "pentagonal" comes from the Greek words pente (meaning five) and gonia (meaning angle). At its core, it describes something that has the form of a pentagon or is connected with five angles and five sides. Most often, it refers to a flat shape with five straight sides and five corners. Think of home plate on a baseball field or a five-sided tile: both are easy examples of something pentagonal.
However, "pentagonal" is not limited to flat shapes. It can also describe parts of three-dimensional objects when those parts have five sides. For example, a dodecahedron is a solid with twelve pentagonal faces. In architecture or design, a window, room, tower section, or pattern may also be called pentagonal if its outline is five-sided.
The word is mainly a descriptive one, and it is most useful when you want to be exact about shape. It is common in math, drawing, design, and building-related contexts, but less common in casual conversation. If an object, surface, or outline has the shape of a pentagon, calling it pentagonal is the clear and correct choice.
Examples
- 1
Classroom furniture
The kids sat around a pentagonal table in the corner of the classroom.
- 2
Aerial view
From above, the old fort looks almost pentagonal.
- 3
Architecture
The architect used pentagonal windows to make the front of the building feel less ordinary.
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- pentagonaladjective