hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon

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English

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Etymology

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Analysable as hexahecta- (six hundred) (from hexa- +‎ hect(a)-) + enneaconta- (ninety) (from ennea- + the common element in Ancient Greek ἑξήκοντα (hexḗkonta, sixty), τεσσαράκοντα (tessarákonta, forty), etc.) + Ancient Greek καί (kaí, and) + hepta- (seven) +‎ -gon.

Coined humorously to describe the shape of the US state of Colorado.

Pronunciation

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  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌhɛksəˌhɛktəˌɛni.əˌkɒntəkaɪˈhɛptəˌɡən/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˌhɛksəˌhɛktəˌɛni.əˌkɑntəkaɪˈhɛptəˌɡɑn/
  • Audio (General American):(file)
  • Hyphenation: hex‧a‧hec‧ta‧en‧ne‧a‧con‧ta‧kai‧hep‧ta‧gon

Noun

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hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon (plural hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagons)

  1. (geometry) A polygon with 697 sides.
    • 2019 October 16, James Burky, “Rectangle state? Nope. Colorado has 697 sides, not four.”, in The Denver Post[1], archived from the original on 2023-01-08:
      Colorado is actually a hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon, meaning it has 697 sides, according to a 2018 bigthink.com article and Kutztown University's math whizzes who create names for polygons.
    • 2020, Derek Everett, Colorado Day by Day, Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado, →ISBN, page 212:
      A study in 2018 suggested that as a result of the challenges of surveying in the nineteenth century, Colorado has no fewer than 697 sides, technically making it a "hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon."
    • 2020, Bathroom Readers' Institute, Uncle John's Greatest Know on Earth Bathroom Reader, San Diego, CA: Portable Press, →ISBN:
      The state of Colorado may look like a rectangle (four straight sides, four right angles) but it actually has 697 sides, making it a hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon.