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right prism

right prism

5.7
A solid with two equal parallel flat ends and rectangular sides that meet the ends at right angles
  • noun
  • /raɪt ˈprɪzəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : prisma recto
  • The volume of a right prism can be calculated by multiplying the area of the base by the height.

Examples

  • Students constructed a model of a right prism using cardboard and glue for their geometry project.

  • In a right prism, all the lateral faces are rectangles perpendicular to the bases.

  • A right prism has rectangular sides.

  • The right prism is a common shape in geometry.

  • In a right prism, all the lateral faces are rectangles perpendicular to the bases.

  • Students constructed a model of a right prism using cardboard and glue for their geometry project.

  • The volume of a right prism can be calculated by multiplying the area of the base by the height.

Synonyms

regular prism
vsright prism
  • Specialized
5.5

A solid with two equal regular flat shapes as ends and rectangular sides

has rectangular sides perpendicular to parallel bases without requiring regular bases

Surface Forms

right prism singular
right prisms plural

Morphology

right + prism

The meaning is directly derived from combining 'right' (forming a 90° angle to a base) with 'prism' (a solid with two parallel bases): it denotes a prism whose lateral faces meet the bases at right angles so the sides are rectangles perpendicular to the bases. This adjectival-noun composition is a straightforward, compositional geometric term found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Right prism comes from its parts: right meaning 'standing straight up' and prism meaning a solid with two equal, parallel flat ends. So a right prism is a prism whose side faces are rectangles that meet those flat ends at a 'right angle', which is why the name means a prism with sides perpendicular to the bases.