angle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The space between two lines or surfaces that meet, measured in degrees.

   A right angle measures exactly ninety degrees.

2. 2
   noun

   A particular way of thinking about or looking at a problem or situation.

   The reporter approached the story from a new angle.

3. 3
   verb

   To turn or position something so that it is not straight or upright.

   She angled the chair towards the window to catch the light.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Angle has two unrelated origins. The geometrical word, meaning the space between two intersecting lines, comes from Latin angulus, “corner.” The verb meaning “to fish with a rod and line,” or “to prompt someone to offer something,” is an Old English word from ancient Germanic roots; angle was also an old name for a hook.

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk-der. Proto-Germanic *angulaz Proto-West Germanic *angul Old English angol Middle English angel English angle From Middle English angel (“fishhook”), from Old English angel (“hook, fishhook”), from Proto-West Germanic *angul, from Proto-Germanic *angulaz (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk- (“to make crooked, bend”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Ongle (“fishhook; fishing pole”), West Frisian angel (“fishing rod, stinger”), Dutch angel (“fishhook”), German Angel (“fishing pole”), Luxembourgish Aangel (“fishing rod”), Icelandic öngull (“fishhook”)…

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary