Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun geometry A line perpendicular to a surface (or line); in particular, either of the sides of a right triangle other than its hypotenuse.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin cathetus, from Ancient Greek κάθετος (kathetos, "perpendicular").

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Examples

  • I learned something new today: a cathetus (pl. catheti) is a leg of a right triangle.

    Yahoo! Answers: Latest Questions 2010

  • Let _o p_ be the body of the sun, _c n s_ the moon, and _b_ the eye which, above the base _c n_ of the cathetus _c n m_, sees the body of the sun reflected at equal angles _c n_; and the same again on moving the eye from _b_ to _a_.

    The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2 1452-1519 Leonardo da Vinci 1485

  • Let _o p_ be the body of the sun, _c n s_ the moon, and _b_ the eye which, above the base _c n_ of the cathetus _c n m_, sees the body of the sun reflected at equal angles _c n_; and the same again on moving the eye from _b_ to _a_.

    The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Complete 1452-1519 Leonardo da Vinci 1485

  • [Footnote: _A_ stands for _ochio_ [eye], _B_ for _aria_ [air], _C_ for _acqua_ [water], _D_ for _cateto_ [cathetus].

    The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 1 1452-1519 Leonardo da Vinci 1485

  • [Footnote: _A_ stands for _ochio_ [eye], _B_ for _aria_ [air], _C_ for _acqua_ [water], _D_ for _cateto_ [cathetus].

    The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Complete 1452-1519 Leonardo da Vinci 1485

Comments

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  • I do love me some math vocab.

    April 3, 2009