veelhoek

Dutch

Etymology

Een complexe veelhoek.

Compound of veel (“much, many”) +‎ hoek (“angle, corner”), coined by Simon Stevin as a purism for Latin polygonum, therefore a calque of Ancient Greek πολύγωνον (polúgōnon).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈveːl.ɦuk/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: veel‧hoek

Noun

veelhoek m (plural veelhoeken, diminutive veelhoekje n)

1. (geometry) polygon (plane figure bounded by straight edges) [from late 16th c.]

   Synonym: polygoon

Descendants

• Afrikaans: veelhoek
• → German: Vieleck (calque)