quadrangle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a plane figure with four straight sides and four angles

   A square is a regular quadrangle with four equal sides.

2. 2
   noun

   a square or rectangular courtyard enclosed by buildings, especially at a college

   Students crossed the quadrangle on their way to the library.

Through Old French from Late Latin quadrangulum, "four-angled figure," formed from Latin quattuor, "four," + angulus, "angle." The architectural sense developed because an enclosed courtyard and its surrounding buildings often form a four-sided plan.

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