Also spelled isoceles
adj
Freq #61640
Meanings
-
1
adj
of a triangle, having two sides of equal length
The roof truss forms an isosceles triangle with two equal rafters.
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2
adj
of a trapezoid, having its two nonparallel sides equal in length
An isosceles trapezoid has equal base angles as well as equal legs.
Thesaurus
Opposites
scalene
Word family
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin isosceles, from Ancient Greek ἰσοσκελής (isoskelēs, "equal-legged"), formed from ἴσος (isos, "equal") + σκέλος (skelos, "leg") + the adjectival suffix -ής (-ēs). The geometric meaning is therefore literally "having equal legs."