geometry means the branch of mathematics dealing with spatial relationships.
geometry is pronounced /d͡ʒiːˈɒm.ɪ.tɹi/.
Why “geometry” is a great word
The branch of mathematics concerning the properties and relations of points, lines, surfaces, and solids in space. From Middle English, from Old French geometrie, from Latin geōmetria, from Ancient Greek γεωμετρία (geōmetría, 'land measurement'), from γῆ (gê, 'earth') + -μετρία (-metría, 'measurement'). Unlike 'arithmetic,' which traffics in the abstract commerce of numbers alone, or 'topology,' which cares only for connectivity and continuity, geometry insists on the specific architecture of form. It is the straight path of a plumb line through still water, the perfect solitude of a sphere, the sun-warmed stone fitted precisely into a terrace wall—a timeless ledger of the world's invisible scaffolding, measuring earth as if to earn it.
Etymology
From Middle English gemetry, geometrie, from Old French geometrie (modern French géométrie), from Latin geōmetria, from Ancient Greek γεωμετρία (geōmetría, “geometry, land-survey”), from γεωμέτρης (geōmétrēs, “geometer, land measurer”), from γῆ (gê, “earth, land, country”) + -μετρία (-metría, “measurement”), from μέτρον (métron, “a measure”). By surface analysis, geometer + -y or geo- + -metry. Doublet of gematria.
noun
- The branch of mathematics dealing with spatial relationships.e.g.“ANY problem in geometry can easily be reduced to such terms that a knowledge of the lengths of certain straight lines is sufficient for its construction.” — 1925, René Descartes, “The Geometry of Rene Descartes”, in David Eugene Smith, Marcia Latham, transl., [1637, La Géométrie], Cosimo Classics, published 2007, page 2:
- A mathematical system that deals with spatial relationships and that is built on a particular set of axioms; a subbranch of geometry which deals with such a system or systems.e.g.“1975 [Addison-Wesley], Eugene F. Krause, Taxicab Geometry, 1986, Dover, page 64,
Entire new geometries are also suggested by real-world cities.”
- The observed or specified spatial attributes of an object, etc.e.g.“The inset of figure 1 shows the geometry of the samples. They are 4.6 mm long and 0.4 mm wide.” — 1990, M. E. Cage, D. Y. Yu, G. Marullo Reedtz, “Observation and an Explanation of Breakdown of the Quantum Hall Effect”, in Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, v
- A mathematical object comprising representations of a space and of its spatial relationships.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.