Dr. J's Maths.com
Where the techniques of Maths
are explained in simple terms.

Geometry - Quadrilaterals.
Background to the Trapezium.


 

We - as most good people do - will take the definition of a trapezium as being a quadrilateral - that is a four sided figure - with at least one pair of opposite sides parallel. This is the accepted definition for all good mathematicians outside of the United States - which just needs to be different.

Many people (even amongst some of those outside of the US) restrict the definition to "with one pair of opposite sides parallel".

 

Other meanings for the word "trapezium" include:

In medicine:

The name of a bone in the wrist. It forms the radial border of the carpal tunnel.

A scaphoid break in the wrist is common but considered to be a bad break. It normally does not show in an x-ray for about 10 days.

 Trap bone
Wikipedia.1
In astronomy:

The Trapezium - often referred to as being the Orion Trapezium cluster is a tight open cluster of stars in the Orion Nebula in the Constellation of Orion. It was discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1617.

See Wikipedia.

 Orion
NASA Hubble site.