hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon

English

Etymology

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

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌhɛksəˌhɛktəˌɛni.əˌkɒntəkaɪˈhɛptəˌɡən/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌhɛksəˌhɛktəˌɛni.əˌkɑntəkaɪˈhɛptəˌɡɑn/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: hex‧a‧hec‧ta‧en‧ne‧a‧con‧ta‧kai‧hep‧ta‧gon

Noun

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.