angle

See also: Angle, anglè, anglė, and -angle

English

Pronunciation

  • (without /æ/ raising) IPA(key): /ˈæŋ.ɡəl/, [ˈæŋ.ɡəl] ~ [ˈæŋ.ɡl̩]
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • (/æ/ raising)
    • (US, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈeɪ̯ŋ.ɡəl/, [ˈeɪ̯ŋ.ɡəl] ~ [ˈeɪ̯ŋ.ɡl̩]; /ˈɛ̃ŋ.ɡəl/, [ˈɛ̃ŋ.ɡəl] ~ [ˈɛ̃ŋ.ɡl̩]
      • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -æŋɡəl
  • Hyphenation: an‧gle
  • Homophone: Angle

Etymology 1

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂eng-
Proto-Indo-European *h₂engulos
Proto-Italic *angulos
Latin angulusder.
Middle French anglebor.
Middle English angle
English angle

    From Middle English angle, angul, angule, borrowed from Middle French angle, from Latin angulus, anglus (“corner, remote area”). Cognate with Old High German ancha (“nape of the neck”), Middle High German anke (“joint of the foot, nape of neck”). Doublet of angulus and ankle.

    Noun

    Diagram of an angle

    angle (plural angles)

    2. (geometry) A figure formed by two rays which start from a common point (a plane angle) or by three planes that intersect (a solid angle).
      the angle between lines A and B
    4. (geometry) The measure of such a figure. In the case of a plane angle, this is the ratio (or proportional to the ratio) of the arc length to the radius of a section of a circle cut by the two rays, centered at their common point. In the case of a solid angle, this is the ratio of the surface area to the square of the radius of the section of a sphere.
      The angle between lines A and B is π/4 radians, or 45 degrees.
      • 2013 July-August, Fenella Saunders, “Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture”, in American Scientist:
        The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.
    5. A corner where two walls intersect.
      an angle of a building
    6. A change in direction.
      The horse took off at an angle.
    8. A viewpoint; a physical position to observe something.
    10. (used figuratively) A point of view; a perspective of thought.
      • 2005, Adams Media, Adams Job Interview Almanac, page 299:
        For example, if I was trying to repitch an idea to a producer who had already turned it down, I would say something like, "I remember you said you didn't like my idea because there was no women's angle. Well, here's a great one that both of us must have missed during our first conversation."
      • 2013 January, Katie L. Burke, “Ecological Dependency”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 1, page 64:
        In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.”
      • 2026 August 10, Nicholas Muhoro, “Jodi Huisentruit, 27, Vanished From Her Apartment Parking Lot in 1995. Police Found Signs of a Struggle”, in Skip Boring‎[1], archived from the original on 11 August 2026:
        Police had various angles to consider after securing the scene of Jodi’s disappearance.
    11. (media) The focus of a news story.
    12. Any of various hesperiid butterflies.
    13. (slang, professional wrestling) A storyline between two wrestlers, providing the background for and approach to a feud.
    14. (slang) An ulterior motive; a scheme or means of benefiting from a situation, usually hidden, often immoral.
      His angle is that he gets a percentage, but mostly in trade.
    15. A projecting or sharp corner; an angular fragment.
    16. (astrology) Any of the four cardinal points of an astrological chart: the Ascendant, the Midheaven, the Descendant and the Imum Coeli.
    Synonyms
    Hyponyms
    Derived terms
    Translations
    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked
    See also

    Etymology 2

    Etymology tree
    Proto-Indo-European *h₂eng-
    Proto-Indo-European *h₂engulos
    Proto-Italic *angulos
    Latin angulusder.
    Middle French anglebor.
    Middle English angle
    Middle English anglen
    English angle

      From Middle English anglen (“to meet at an angle, converge”), from the noun (see above).

      Verb

      angle (third-person singular simple present angles, present participle angling, simple past and past participle angled)

      1. (transitive, often in the passive) To place (something) at an angle.
        The roof is angled at 15 degrees.
      2. (intransitive, informal) To change direction rapidly.
        The five ball angled off the nine ball but failed to reach the pocket.
      3. (transitive, informal) To present or argue something in a particular way or from a particular viewpoint.
        How do you want to angle this when we talk to the client?
      4. (transitive, billiards) To hamper (oneself or one's opponent) by leaving the cue ball in the jaws of a pocket such that the surround of the pocket (the "angle") blocks the path from cue ball to object ball.
      Translations

      Etymology 3

      Etymology tree
      Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk-der.
      Proto-Germanic *angulaz
      Proto-West Germanic *angul
      Old English angol
      Middle English angel
      English angle

        From Middle English angel (“fishhook”), from Old English angel (“hook, fishhook”), from Proto-West Germanic *angul, from Proto-Germanic *angulaz (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk- (“to make crooked, bend”).

        Cognate with Saterland Frisian Ongle (“fishhook; fishing pole”), West Frisian angel (“fishing rod, stinger”), Dutch angel (“fishhook”), German Angel (“fishing pole”), Luxembourgish Aangel (“fishing rod”), Icelandic öngull (“fishhook”), Norwegian Nynorsk angel, ongel, ongul (“fishhook”), Swedish angel (“pike hook”), Prasuni uku (“shoulder”).

        Noun

        angle (plural angles)

        1. A fishhook; tackle for catching fish, consisting of a line, hook, and bait, with or without a rod.

        Etymology 4

        Etymology tree
        Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk-der.
        Proto-Germanic *angulaz
        Proto-West Germanic *angul
        Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
        Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
        Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
        Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
        Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti
        Proto-Germanic *-ōną
        Proto-West Germanic *-ōn
        Proto-West Germanic *anglōn
        Old English *anglian?
        Middle English anglen
        English angle

          From Middle English anglen (“to fish, fish with a hook”, literally “to fish-hook”), perhaps from Old English *anglian, from Proto-West Germanic *anglōn (“to hook”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian ongelje (“to fish, angle”), Dutch hengelen (“to fish, angle”), German Low German angeln (“to fish, angle”), German angeln (“to fish, angle”).

          Verb

          angle (third-person singular simple present angles, present participle angling, simple past and past participle angled)

          1. (intransitive) To try to catch fish with a hook and line.
          2. (figurative, informal, with for) To attempt to subtly persuade someone to offer a desired thing.
            He must be angling for a pay rise.
          Derived terms
          Translations

          Anagrams

          Catalan

          Pronunciation

          Etymology 1

            Inherited from Latin angulus

            Noun

            angle m (plural angles)

            1. (geometry) angle (figure formed by two rays which start from a common point)
            2. angle (a corner where two walls intersect)

            Etymology 2

            Adjective

            angle m or f (masculine and feminine plural angles)

            1. Anglian (of or pertaining to the Angles)

            Noun

            angle m or f by sense (plural angles)

            1. Angle (member of a Germanic tribe)

            Further reading

            Esperanto

            Pronunciation

            • IPA(key): /ˈanɡle/
            • Audio 1:(file)
            • Audio 2:(file)
            • Rhymes: -anɡle
            • Syllabification: an‧gle

            Adverb

            angle

            1. in the English language
            2. in the manner of an English person
            • angla (“English”, adjective)
            • Anglio (“England”)
            • anglo (“English person”)

            French

            Etymology

            Inherited from Middle French angle, from Old French angle, from Latin angulus, anglus.

            Pronunciation

            Noun

            angle m (plural angles)

            1. (geometry) a geometric angle
              La mesure d'un angle droit est égale à 90 degrés.
              The measure of a right angle is equal to 90 degrees.
            2. a location at the corner of something, such as streets, buildings, furniture etc.
              Synonym: coin
            3. a viewpoint or angle

            Usage notes

            • Inside a room, the word coin (“corner”) is more usual.

            Derived terms

            Descendants

            • Haitian Creole: ang

            See also

            Further reading

            Anagrams

            German

            Pronunciation

            Verb

            angle

            1. inflection of angeln:
              1. first-person singular present
              2. singular imperative
              3. first/third-person singular subjunctive I

            Anagrams

            Haitian Creole

            Alternative forms

            Etymology

            Etymology tree
            West Germanicbor.
            Latin Angluslbor.
            Old French Angle
            Proto-Indo-European *-iskos
            Proto-Germanic *-iskaz
            Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor.
            Latin -iscus
            Late Latin
            Etruscanbor.?
            Italicbor.?
            Proto-Indo-European *-wénts
            Proto-Indo-European *-tós
            Proto-Indo-European *-is
            Proto-Indo-European *-tis
            Proto-Indo-European *-went-ti-der.?
            ▲
            Ancient Greek ἐνς (ens)
            Ancient Greek εἰς (eis)
            Ancient Greek ἐνς (ens)der.
            Latin?
            Latin -ī?
            Latin -ēnsis
            Old French -ois
            Old French anglois
            Middle French anglois
            French anglais
            Haitian Creole angle

              Inherited from French anglais, from Middle French anglois.

              Pronunciation

              • IPA(key): /ãɡle/

              Adjective

              angle

              1. English

              Noun

              angle

              1. English language

              References

              • Targète, Jean; Urciolo, Raphael (1993), Haitian Creole-English Dictionary‎[2], Dunwoody Press, →ISBN, page 9

              Italian

              Pronunciation

              • IPA(key): /ˈan.ɡle/
              • Rhymes: -anɡle
              • Hyphenation: àn‧gle

              Adjective

              angle f pl

              1. feminine plural of anglo

              Noun

              angle f

              1. plural of angla

              Anagrams

              Mauritian Creole

              Etymology

              From French anglais.

              Noun

              angle

              1. English language

              Adjective

              angle

              1. English

              Old English

              Noun

              angle

              1. dative singular of angol

              Old French

              Alternative forms

              Etymology

              From Late Latin angelus, from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos).

              Noun

              angle oblique singular, m (oblique plural angles, nominative singular angles, nominative plural angle)

              1. angel (biblical being)

              Descendants

              Pennsylvania German

              Etymology

              From Middle High German angel, from Old High German angul. Compare German angeln, English angle.

              Verb

              angle

              1. to fish, angle
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