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Where does the word "rectangle" come from? It comes from Latin rectus, and was adopted directly into English (1570s).
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Where does the word "rectangle" come from? It comes from Latin rectus, and was adopted directly into English (1570s).
Rectangle’s story begins in Latin: rectus meant “right, straight.” Right, straight, combined with angulus (angle). It reached English by 1570s as rectangle. Settled as the geometric word for a four-sided shape with right angles. Today, rectangle means a geometric shape with four sides and four right angles.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient rectus "right, straight", right, straight, combined with angulus (angle).
- Stage 2 · English · 1570s rectangle "a four-sided shape with four right angles", settled as the geometric word for a four-sided shape with right angles.