Where does “Pentagon” come from?
Pentagon (English) comes from Middle French pentagone, from Late Latin pentagonum, from Ancient Greek πεντάγωνον, from Ancient Greek πεντάγωνος, from Ancient Greek γωνία, from Ancient Greek γόνυ, from Proto-Hellenic gónu, from Proto-Indo-European ǵónu — knee.
Pentagon (English): The headquarters of the United States Department of Defense
Definitions
- The headquarters of the United States Department of Defense
Ancestry of “Pentagon”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | pentagone | — |
| 2 | Late Latin | pentagonum | pentaphyllon |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πεντάγωνον | pentagon |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πεντάγωνος | five-angled |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | γωνία | corner, angle; joiner's square; cornerstone |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | γόνυ | knee |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | gónu | knee |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵónu | knee |