Etymology
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triangulate (v.)

1833, originally in surveying, from Latin triangulum "a triangle" (see triangle) + -ate (2). Related: Triangulated; triangulating. Figurative use by 1860.

Entries linking to triangulate

triangle (n.)
late 14c., from Old French triangle (13c.), from Latin triangulum "triangle," noun use of neuter of adjective triangulus "three-cornered, having three angles," from tri- "three" (see tri-) + angulus "corner, angle" (see angle (n.)).
-ate (2)
verbal suffix for Latin verbs in -are, identical with -ate (1). Old English commonly made verbs from adjectives by adding a verbal ending to the word (such as gnornian "be sad, mourn," gnorn "sad, depressed"), but as the inflections wore off English words in late Old and early Middle English, there came to be no difference between the adjective and the verb in dry, empty, warm, etc. Thus accustomed to the identity of adjectival and verbal forms of a word, the English, when they began to expand their Latin-based vocabulary after c. 1500, simply made verbs from Latin past-participial adjectives without changing their form (such as aggravate, substantiate) and it became the custom that Latin verbs were Englished from their past participle stems.
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Definitions of triangulate
1
triangulate (v.)
divide into triangles or give a triangular form to;
triangulate the piece of cardboard
triangulate (v.)
measure by using trigonometry;
triangulate the angle
triangulate (v.)
survey by triangulation;
2
triangulate (adj.)
composed of or marked with triangles;
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near triangulate

triage

trial

triangle

triangular

triangularity

triangulate

triangulation

triannual

Triassic

triathlete

triathlon

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