polygon

noun

poly·​gon ˈpä-lē-ˌgän 

1

: a closed plane figure bounded by straight lines

2

: a closed figure on a sphere bounded by arcs of great circles

polygonal

pə-ˈli-gə-nᵊl 

adjective

polygonally

pə-ˈli-gə-nᵊl-ē 

adverb

Examples of polygon in a Sentence

Pentagons, hexagons, and octagons are all kinds of polygons.

Recent Examples on the Web

Today’s blockbuster titles rely on robust engines like Unity and Unreal to push pretty polygons, engines made for companies and people already seriously dedicated to game development as a career. —PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024

Over the past decade, scientists and researchers discovered that the same Nvidia chip designs that could render polygons and computer graphics were ideal for the kind of parallel processing needed for AI. —Kif Leswing, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

This process, counterintuitively, involves reducing the number of polygons used in each digital object and decreasing the overall file size, so that these assets can be more easily handled by AR engines, without glitching or freezing. —Moin Roberts-Islam, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024

In 2024, all the best independent horror games are rooted in the original PlayStation’s fibrous, lo-fi textures and long-nosed polygons. —Ashley Bardhan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin polygōnum, borrowed from Greek polýgōnon, from poly- poly- + -gōnon -gon

First Known Use

circa 1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing polygon

• spherical polygon

Kids Definition

polygon

noun

poly·​gon ˈpäl-i-ˌgän 

: a geometric figure that is closed, that lies in a plane, and whose edges are all straight lines

triangles, squares, and pentagons are all polygons

polygonal

pə-ˈlig-ən-ᵊl 

adjective