pi
pi Lexical Profile
pi Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A mathematical constant representing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, approximately equal to 3.14159.
"The geometry students used the value of pi to calculate the exact area of the circle."
The sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Π, π), transliterated as 'p'.
"In classical Greek inscriptions, the letter pi is carved with two vertical strokes beneath a horizontal bar."
American Metal printing type that has been spilled, mixed together, or disordered; by extension, any jumbled mess.
"Dropping the tray reduced hours of careful typesetting into a hopeless pi on the workshop floor."
• verb
American To spill, mix up, or throw into disorder (especially composed printing type).
"The apprentice accidentally pied an entire column of type just before the newspaper went to press."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'pi' (the mathematical constant and Greek letter) with its homophone 'pie' (the baked dish).
• Rhymes for pi
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek πῖ (pî), ultimately derived from the Phoenician letter pe ('mouth'). Its mathematical use as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter was introduced by Welsh mathematician William Jones in 1706, chosen as the initial letter of Greek περιφέρεια (periphéreia, 'periphery') and περίμετρος (perímetros, 'perimeter').