cubic

English

A cubic shape (3)

polynomial degrees

Previous:	quadratic
Next:	quartic

Alternative forms

• cubick (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French cubique, equivalent to cube +‎ -ic.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkjuː.bɪk/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkju.bɪk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːbɪk

Adjective

cubic (not comparable)

1. (geometry) Used in the names of units of volume formed by multiplying a unit of length by itself twice.

   Coordinate terms: linear, square

   cubic foot

   • 2019, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     On one recent day, officials said the fine dust concentration levels in Seoul rose above 130 micrograms per cubic meter.

   • 2025 August, “The International System of Units (SI)”, in Bureau International des Poids et Mesures‎^[1], archived from the original on 17 September 2025, page 147:

     It is not permissible to use abbreviations for unit symbols or unit names, such as sec (for either s or second), sq. mm (for either mm² or square millimetre), cc (for either cm³ or cubic centimetre), or mps (for either m/s or metre per second).

2. (mathematics) Relating to polynomials of the form $ax^{3}+bx^{2}+cx+d$.
3. (crystallography) Having three equal axes and all angles 90°.

   Synonyms: isometric, monometric

   cubic cleavage

Derived terms

• bicubic
• cubic capacity
• cubic decimeter
• cubic function
• cubic graph
• cubicity
• cubic millimetre
• cubic nitre
• cubo-cubic
• cumec
• cusec
• hypercubic
• noncubic
• pseudocubic
• quasicubic
• subcubic
• tricubic

• (degree three polynomial): cubic curve, cubic equation
• (unit of volume): cubic centimeter, cubic centimetre, cubic foot, cubic inch, cubic kilometre, cubic meter, cubic metre, cubic mile, cubic ton, cubic yard

unsorted terms

• cubic time
• cubic zirconia

Translations

in the name of units of volume

• Arabic: مُكَعَّب (mukaʕʕab)
• Armenian: խորանարդ (hy) (xoranard)
• Asturian: cúbicu
• Belarusian: кубі́чны (kubíčny)
• Bulgarian: куби́чен (bg) (kubíčen), куби́чески (kubíčeski)
• Catalan: cúbic (ca)
• Czech: krychlový (cs), kubický (cs)
• Dutch: kubiek (nl)
• Finnish: kuutio- (fi)
• French: cube (fr)
• Greek: κυβικός (el) (kyvikós)
• Hindi: घन (hi) (ghan)
• Hungarian: köb- (hu)
• Irish: ciúbach
• Italian: cubo (it)
• Latvian: kubisks
• Māori: pūtoru
• Polish: sześcienny (pl) m
• Portuguese: cúbico (pt)
• Russian: куби́ческий (ru) (kubíčeskij)
• Slovak: kubický
• Spanish: cúbico (es)
• Swedish: kubik- (sv)
• Tagalog: buukin
• Ukrainian: кубі́чний (kubíčnyj)
• Vietnamese: khối (vi)

of a polynomial of third degree

• Armenian: խորանարդ (hy) (xoranard)
• Bulgarian: куби́чен (bg) (kubíčen), куби́чески (kubíčeski)
• Catalan: cúbic (ca)
• Czech: kubický (cs)
• Dutch: derdegraads (nl)
• Finnish: kolmannen asteen (literally “of the third degree”)
• French: cubique (fr)
• Hindi: त्रिघात (trighāt), घनीय (ghanīya)
• Hungarian: harmadfokú (hu)
• Irish: ciúbach
• Italian: cubico (it)
• Polish: trzeciego stopnia
• Portuguese: cúbico (pt)
• Russian: куби́ческий (ru) (kubíčeskij), в ку́бе (v kúbe), тре́тьей сте́пени (trétʹjej stépeni)
• Spanish: cúbico (es)
• Swedish: tredjegrads- (sv), kubisk (sv)
• Tagalog: buukin

having three equal axes and all angles 90°

• Arabic: مُكَعَّب (mukaʕʕab)
• Bulgarian: правоъгълен (pravoǎgǎlen)
• Cornish: kubek
• Dutch: kubisch (nl)
• Finnish: kuutiollinen (fi)
• Hindi: घनीय (ghanīya)
• Hungarian: köbös (hu)
• Irish: ciúbach
• Polish: regularny (pl), kubiczny
• Spanish: cúbico (es)
• Tagalog: buukin

Noun

cubic (plural cubics)

1. (algebraic geometry) A cubic curve.

   Synonym: cubic curve

Derived terms

• Tschirnhausen cubic

Translations

cubic curve

• Bulgarian: кубична крива f (kubična kriva)
• French: cubique (fr) f
• Swedish: tredjegradskurva c

See also

• cube
• spacial, spatial
• square

Anagrams

• Bucci

Occitan

Adjective

cubic m (feminine singular cubica, masculine plural cubics, feminine plural cubicas)

1. cubic

Further reading

• Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana‎^[2], L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2025, page 208

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French cubique, from Latin cubicus. By surface analysis, cub +‎ -ic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈku.bik/

Adjective

cubic m or n (feminine singular cubică, masculine plural cubici, feminine/neuter plural cubice)

1. cubical

Declension

Declension of cubic

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	cubic		cubică	cubici	cubice
	definite	cubicul		cubica	cubicii	cubicele
genitive- dative	indefinite	cubic		cubice	cubici	cubice
	definite	cubicului		cubicei	cubicilor	cubicelor

Further reading

• “cubic”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026