The word "pentagon" is spelled /ˈpɛntəɡɒn/. The first syllable is pronounced with the short e sound, as in "pet." The second syllable is pronounced with the schwa sound, similar to the sound of the letter "a" in "sofa." The third syllable starts with the hard g sound, as in "goat," and is followed by the short o sound. The final syllable is pronounced with the short o sound and the letter n. The word "pentagon" refers to a five-sided geometric shape.
A pentagon is a polygon with five straight sides and five angles. It is a two-dimensional geometric figure that is characterized by its unique shape and specific properties. Each side of a pentagon is a line segment connecting two consecutive vertices, while each angle is formed by two adjacent sides. All the interior angles of a regular pentagon are congruent, measuring 108 degrees each, while the sum of all angles in any pentagon is 540 degrees.
The term "pentagon" comes from the Greek words "pente" meaning "five" and "gonia" meaning "angle." The concept of a pentagon has various applications in mathematics, geometry, architecture, and design. It serves as a fundamental building block for constructing more complex shapes, such as polyhedra or tessellations. Pentagons are often encountered in nature, such as in the structure of some seeds, leaves, and starfish.
Beyond geometry, "pentagon" also has a specific meaning when used in the context of government and military affairs. The Pentagon, with a capital "P," refers to the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. Located in Arlington, Virginia, the Pentagon is a symbol of American military power and decision-making, serving as a command center for strategic planning and coordination. The term "pentagon" occasionally appears in military contexts to describe a five-sided fortification or an organizational structure with five key leaders or divisions.
A figure of five sides and five angles—if equal, it is called regular, if unequal, irregular.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word pentagon originated from two different roots. The first part, penta, derives from the Greek word pente, meaning five. This is due to the pentagon's significant characteristic of having five sides. The second part, gon, comes from the Greek word gonia, which means angle or corner. Therefore, combining pente and gonia gives us pentagon, which literally means five angles or five corners.