Triangular

How to spell triangular

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce triangular

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does triangular mean?

1. adjectiveHaving the shape of a triangle, or relating to three corners or three parties.

Triangular in a sentence

• The warning sign was a bright red triangular shape.

• The negotiation became a triangular standoff between three rival firms.

Where does triangular come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin triangularis, meaning 'shaped like a triangle', which was built from triangulum, the Latin noun for a three-cornered figure. That noun in turn joins tri-, meaning 'three', with angulus, meaning 'corner' or 'angle', so the literal sense is simply 'three corners'. English adopted it in the late 1500s, taking the form straight from the Latin adjective rather than reshaping it through French. The same angulus root sits inside everyday words such as 'angle' and 'rectangular', which is a useful reminder that the middle of the word is spelled angul, not angl. Because the ending sounds like an unstressed '-er' to many speakers, the trap is remembering that it is written '-ular', matching the Latin '-ularis'.

How the word is built

• tri- (three)
• angul- (corner/angle, from Latin angulus)
• -ar (adjective suffix)