Malfatti circle

noun

Any of the three circles inside a given triangle such that each circle is tangent to the others and to two sides of the triangle.

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Meanings

nounMalfatti circle (plural Malfatti circles)

plural Malfatti circles

  1. geometryAny of the three circles inside a given triangle such that each circle is tangent to the others and to two sides of the triangle.

Origin

Named after Gian Francesco Malfatti, who made early studies of the problem of constructing these circles in the mistaken belief that they would have the largest possible total area of any three disjoint circles within the triangle.

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Cite this entry
APA

Malfatti circle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Malfatti%20circle

MLA

“Malfatti circle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Malfatti%20circle. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Malfatti circle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Malfatti%20circle.

Source: Malfatti circle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.