trigonometry

noun

Etymology: PIE word *tréyes From 1610s, from New Latin trigōnometria, from Ancient Greek τρίγωνον (trígōnon, “triangle”) + μέτρον (métron, “measure”), equivalent to trigono- + -metry.

1. The branch of mathematics that deals with the relationships between the sides and angles of (in particular) right-angled triangles, as represented by the trigonometric functions, and with calculations based on said relationships.

   “Trigonometry emerged in the Hellenistic world during the 3rd century BCE from applications of geometry to astronomy; the Greeks focused on the calculation of chords, while mathematicians in India created the earliest known tables of values for trigonometric functions such as sine.”

   “Historically, trigonometry has been applied in areas such as geodesy, surveying, celestial mechanics and navigation.”