unequal-sided
|un-e-qual-sid-ed|
/ˌʌnˈiːkwəlˈsaɪdɪd/
not equal on the sides
Etymology
'unequal-sided' originates from Late Middle English as a compound of 'unequal' and 'sided'. 'unequal' itself comes from Old French 'inegal' (from Latin 'in-' + 'aequalis'), where the prefix 'un-' (from Old English 'un-' / Latin 'in-') meant 'not', and 'side' comes from Old English 'sīde' meaning 'flank or lateral surface'.
'unequal' came into Middle English from Old French 'inegal' and ultimately Latin 'aequalis'; 'side' developed from Old English 'sīde'. These elements were combined in English to form compounds like 'unequal-sided' in Modern English to describe shapes with unequal sides.
Initially the components meant 'not equal' and 'side or flank'; when combined as 'unequal-sided' the phrase has consistently meant 'having sides that are not equal'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having sides that are not equal in length or shape; not symmetric with respect to its sides (often used of polygons or shapes).
The triangle in the diagram is unequal-sided, with each side a different length.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/18 13:25