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tri·an·gu·la·tion

(trī-ăng′gyə-lāshən)

a. A surveying technique in which a region is divided into a series of triangular elements based on a line of known length so that accurate measurements of distances and directions may be made by the application of trigonometry.

b. The network of triangles so laid out.

2. The location of an unknown point, as in navigation, by the formation of a triangle having the unknown point and two known points as the vertices.

3. The establishment of a political position that differs from two existing or opposing positions, especially in being moderate.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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