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Origin and history of octagon

octagon(n.)

in geometry, "a plane figure having eight angles and eight sides," 1650s, from Latin octagonos, from Greek oktagōnos, literally "eight-angled, eight-cornered," from okta- combining form of okto "eight" (see eight) + gōnia "angle," which is related to gony "knee" (from PIE root *genu- (1) "knee; angle"). Also octogon (1650s), from French octogone.

also from 1650s

Entries linking to octagon

eight(num.)

"1 more than seven, twice four; the number which is one more than seven; a symbol representing this number;" late 14c., eighte, earlier ehte (c. 1200), from Old English eahta, æhta, from Proto-Germanic *akhto (source also of Old Saxon ahto, Old Frisian ahta, Old Norse atta, Swedish åtta, Dutch acht, Old High German Ahto, German acht, Gothic ahtau), from PIE *okto(u) "eight" (source also of Sanskrit astau, Avestan ashta, Greek okto, Latin octo, Old Irish ocht-n, Breton eiz, Old Church Slavonic osmi, Lithuanian aštuoni). From the Latin word come Italian otto, Spanish ocho, Old French oit, Modern French huit. For spelling, see fight (v.).

Meaning "eight-man crew of a rowing boat" is from 1847. The Spanish piece of eight (1690s) was so called because it was worth eight reals (see piece (n.)). Figure (of) eight as the shape of a race course, etc., attested from c. 1600. To be behind the eight ball "in trouble" (1932) is a metaphor from shooting pool. Eight hours as the ideal length of a fair working day is recorded by 1845.

octagonal(adj.)

"eight-sided and eight-angled," 1570s, from octagon + -al (1).

*genu-(1)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "knee; angle."

It might form all or part of: agonic; decagon; diagonal; geniculate; genuflect; genuflection; -gon; goniometer; heptagon; hexagon; knee; kneel; octagon; orthogonal; pentagon; polygon; trigonometry.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit janu, Avestan znum, Hittite genu "knee;" Greek gony "knee," gōnia "corner, angle;" Latin genu "knee;" Old English cneo, cneow "knee."

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