regular tetrahedron
- noun
- /ˈrɛɡjələr ˌtɛtrəˈhɛdrən/
- Specialized
:
tetraedro regular
- A regular tetrahedron has four triangular faces that are all the same size.
Examples
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In geometry class, we learned that a regular tetrahedron consists of four equilateral triangles.
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The architect designed the building in the shape of a regular tetrahedron to symbolize harmony.
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The group's three-dimensional configuration uses four beams traveling along the threefold symmetry axes of a regular tetrahedron.
Academic text (1994)
How Many
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Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a tetrahedron with four identical equilateral faces and equal angles' is directly and compositionally derived from 'regular' (symmetric/equal) modifying 'tetrahedron' (a solid with four triangular faces). This geometric modifier+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and straightforward, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The noun regular tetrahedron comes from the parts regular (meaning 'all the same') and tetrahedron (from Greek words for 'four' and 'face'). It is a solid with four equal triangular faces, like a perfectly even triangular pyramid, so the name helps you remember it has four identical faces.
