Link Centre Dictionary

pi

UK/paɪ/ US/ˈpaɪ/ fairly common slang us

noun

1.

the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle; approximately equal to 3.14159265358979323846...

4.

the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet

5.

an antiviral drug used against HIV; interrupts HIV replication by binding and blocking HIV protease; often used in combination with other drugs

Origin

From Koine Greek πῖ (pî), from Ancient Greek πεῖ (peî), ultimately from Proto-Semitic *pay- (“mouth”). Doublet of pe. Its mathematical use apparently stems from its use as the first letter in περιφέρεια (periphéreia, “periphery; circumference”) and was first cited in 1706 in the Synopsis Palmariorum Matheseos by William Jones.

Phrases

  • pi bond
  • pi font
  • pi meson

Related words

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.