Where does “hypotenuse” come from?
Hypotenuse comes from Latin hypotenusa, from Ancient Greek ὑποτείνουσα, meaning the side subtending an angle, derived from τείνω, to stretch.
hypotenuse (English): The side of a right triangle opposite the right...
Definitions
- The side of a right triangle opposite the right...
Ancestry of “hypotenuse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | hypotenusa | hypotenuse |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ὑποτείνουσα | present active participle of ῠ̔ποτείνω;... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ὑποτείνω | to stretch under, put under; to extend under,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τείνω | to stretch, extend; to spread; to exert, push to... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | téňňō | to stretch |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tén-ye-ti | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |