obtuse angle
- noun
- /əbˈtus ˈæŋɡəl/
- Specialized
- When measuring angles, an obtuse angle falls between a right angle and a straight angle.
Ashley, do you think it's possible for a triangle to have more than one obtuse angle?
- Ashley, do you think it's possible for a triangle to have more than one obtuse angle?
Examples
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Or if you have an obtuse angle, you know, you can worry about that at a different time, OK.
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So that either happens when you have an obtuse angle already, or when you know that you found already the largest angle in the triangle.
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In geometry, an obtuse triangle has one obtuse angle, which measures more than 90 degrees.
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The architect designed the roof with an obtuse angle to allow for better drainage.
Antonyms
How Wide
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an angle that measures more than 90° and less than 180°' is directly and compositionally derived from 'obtuse' (an interior angle between 90° and 180°) modifying 'angle' (a geometric angle). This adjective–noun combination follows regular semantic composition and is cross-linguistically transparent (e.g. Spanish 'ángulo obtuso'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand it.
Etymology
The term obtuse angle uses obtuse to mean 'blunt' or 'not sharp' and angle to mean a corner, so picture a corner that opens wide instead of making a sharp point. That's why an obtuse angle means an angle larger than a right angle, more than 90 degrees but less than a straight line of 180 degrees.