irregular prism

noun

a prism whose cross section is an irregular polygon

Meanings

nounirregular prism (plural irregular prisms)

plural irregular prisms

  1. geometrya prism whose cross section is an irregular polygon

    If the base be an irregular polygon of any number of sides, the prism is then called an irregular prism.

    1806, Peter Jonas, The Genuine Art of Gauging Made Easy and Familiar, page 138
    1 more example

    A right prism, having regular polygons for its terminating planes, is said to be regular ; an irregular prism is one in which the ends are irregular polygons.

    1867, William Chambers, Robert Chambers, Chambers's Information for the People, page 652
  2. geometrya solid that is like a prism but whose cross section is not (necessarily) a polygon

    Irregular prisms have a cross-section with no well known shape. Some of the steel sections used in the construction industry belong to this category.

    2016, Kusum Wadhwa, Anju Loomba, Saraswati Mathematics, Saraswati House Pvt Ltd, →ISBN, page 234
    1 more example

    If the base be a triangle, it is called a triangular prism; if a square, a square prism; if a pentagon, a pentagonal prism; and' if the base is any irregular figure, it is called an irregular prism : ...

    1850, John Radford Young, An introductory treatise on mensuration, in theory and practice, page 115
Cite this entry
APA

irregular prism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/irregular%20prism

MLA

“irregular prism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/irregular%20prism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “irregular prism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/irregular%20prism.

Source: irregular prism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.