Angle
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈæŋ.ɡəl/
- (also) US IPA: /ˈeɪŋ.ɡəl/
- Rhymes: -æŋɡəl
Origin 1
From Middle English, from Middle French angle, from Latin angulus ("corner, remote area"), from Proto-Indo-European *ang- ("corner, hirn"). Cognate with Old High German ancha ("nape of the neck"), Middle High German anke ("joint of the foot, nape of neck").
Noun
angle
(plural angles)- (geometrical figure)(geometry) A figure formed by two rays which start from a common point (a plane angle) or by three planes that intersect (a solid angle).the angle between lines A and B
- (measure of such a figure)(geometry) The measure of such a figure. In the case of a plane angle, this is the ratio (or proportional to the ratio) of the arc length to the radius of a section of a circle cut by the two rays, centered at their common point. In the case of a solid angle, this is the ratio of the surface area to the square of the radius of the section of a sphere.The angle between lines A and B is π/4 radians, or 45 degrees.
- A corner where two walls intersect.an angle of a building
- A change in direction.
- 2013, Fenella Saunders, Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture, The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.
- The horse took off at an angle.
- (viewpoint) A viewpoint; a way of looking at something.
- 2013-01, Katie L. Burke, Ecological Dependency, In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.â€
- 2005, Adams Media, Adams Job Interview Almanac (page 299)For example, if I was trying to repitch an idea to a producer who had already turned it down, I would say something like, "I remember you said you didn't like my idea because there was no women's angle. Well, here's a great one that both of us must have missed during our first conversation."
- (media) The focus of a news story.
- (slang, professional wrestling) A storyline between two wrestlers, providing the background for and approach to a feud.
- (slang) A scheme; a means of benefitting from a situation, usually hidden, possibly illegal.His angle is that he gets a percentage, but mostly in trade.
- A projecting or sharp corner; an angular fragment.
- Drydenthough but an angle reached him of the stone
- (astrology) Any of the four cardinal points of an astrological chart: the Ascendant, the Midheaven, the Descendant and the Imum Coeli.
Synonyms
- (corner) corner
- (change in direction) swerve
- (vertex) -gon (as per hexagon)
- (viewpoint) opinion, perspective, point of view, slant, view, viewpoint
Derived terms
Related terms
Full definition of angle
Verb
- (transitive, often in the passive) To place (something) at an angle.The roof is angled at 15 degrees.
- (intransitive, informal) To change direction rapidly.The five ball angled off the nine ball but failed to reach the pocket.
- (transitive, informal) To present or argue something in a particular way or from a particular viewpoint.How do you want to angle this when we talk to the client?
- (snooker) To leave the cue ball in the jaws of a pocket such that the surround of the pocket (the "angle") blocks the path from cue ball to object ball.
Origin 2
From Middle English anglelen ("to fish"), from angel ("fishhook"), from Old English angel, angul ("fishhook"), from Proto-Germanic *angulÅ, *angô ("hook, angle"), from Proto-Indo-European *ank-, *Hank- ("something bent, hook"). Cognate with West Frisian angel ("fishing rod, stinger"), Dutch angel ("fishhook"), German Angel ("fishing pole"), German angeln ("to fish, angle").