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Glite Dictionary
two-dimensional figure

two-dimensional figure

3.9
A flat shape like a square or circle with length and width but no depth
  • noun
  • /ˈtuː dɪˈmɛnʃənəl ˈfɪɡər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : figura bidimensional
  • In art class, we learned how to draw different two-dimensional figures, such as circles and triangles.

Examples

  • To calculate the area, we need to find the dimensions of the two-dimensional figure on the paper.

  • The length of that string represents the perimeter of the two-dimensional figure represented by the cover of the mathematics textbook.

    Academic text (1991)

  • A square is a common example of a two-dimensional figure that has equal-length sides.

Synonyms

plane figure
vstwo-dimensional figure
  • Specialized
3.1

A flat shape like a circle or square

refers generally to any shape having only length and width and no depth

Antonyms

three-dimensional figure
  • Specialized
3.6

A solid shape with height, width and depth like a cube

How Many Dimensions

three-dimensional figure
  • Specialized
3.6
two-dimensional figure
  • Specialized
3.9
one-dimensional
  • Specialized
2 4.7

Surface Forms

two-dimensional figure singular
two-dimensional figures plural

Morphology

two-dimensional + figure

The meaning 'a shape with length and width but no depth' is directly and compositionally derived from the adjective 'two-dimensional' (flat, no depth) modifying the noun 'figure' (shape). This adjective+noun construction follows regular English compositional rules and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Two-dimensional figure comes from geometry: two means two directions and dimensional means those directions, while figure means a shape. Imagine a drawing on flat paper that has 'length' and 'width' but no 'depth', so the phrase means a shape with only length and width and no depth.