Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Mathematics A regular solid having six congruent square faces.
  • noun Something having the general shape of a cube.
  • noun A cubicle, used for work or study.
  • noun Mathematics The third power of a number or quantity.
  • noun Slang Cubic inches. Used especially of an internal combustion engine.
  • transitive verb Mathematics To raise (a quantity or number) to the third power.
  • transitive verb To determine the cubic contents of.
  • transitive verb To form or cut into cubes; dice.
  • transitive verb To tenderize (meat) by breaking the fibers with superficial cuts in a pattern of squares.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To measure the cubic capacity of a hollow object, like that of a skull.
  • noun In geometry, a regular body with six square faces; a rectangular parallelopiped, having all its edges equal.
  • noun In arithmetic and algebra, the product obtained by multiplying the square of a quantity by the quantity itself; the third power of a quantity: as, 4 × 4 × 4 = 64, the cube of 4; a is the cube of a, or x of x.
  • To raise to the cube or third power. See cube, n., 2.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To raise to the third power; to obtain the cube of.
  • noun (Geom.) A regular solid body, with six equal square sides.
  • noun (Math.) The product obtained by taking a number or quantity three times as a factor.
  • noun (Min.) pharmacosiderite. It commonly crystallizes in cubes of a green color.
  • noun (Math.) the number or quantity which, multiplied into itself, and then into the product, produces the given cube; thus, 3 is the cube root of 27, for 3x3x3 = 27.
  • noun (Min.) anhydrite; anhydrous calcium sulphate.

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

  • noun geometry A regular polyhedron having six identical square faces.
  • noun Any object more or less in the form of a cube.
  • noun mathematics The third power of a number, value, term or expression.
  • noun computing A data structure consisting of a three-dimensional array; a data cube
  • verb transitive, arithmetic To raise to the third power; to determine the result of multiplying by itself twice.
  • verb transitive To form into the shape of a cube.
  • verb transitive To cut into cubes.
  • verb UK to use a Rubik's cube.
  • noun A cubicle, especially one of those found in offices.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a three-dimensional shape with six square or rectangular sides
  • noun a hexahedron with six equal squares as faces
  • noun the product of three equal terms
  • verb cut into cubes
  • verb raise to the third power
  • noun any of several tropical American woody plants of the genus Lonchocarpus whose roots are used locally as a fish poison and commercially as a source of rotenone
  • noun a block in the (approximate) shape of a cube

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Latin cubus, from Greek kubos. N., sense 2b, short for cubicle.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French cube, from Latin cubus, from Ancient Greek κύβος (kubos).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Clipped form of cubicle (with intentional reference to their common shape per cube, etymology 1), which from Latin cubiculum ("a small bedchamber or lounge"), from cubare ("to lie down").

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