cuboidal

Cuboidal is an adjective used in geometry and biology to describe a shape or cell form. In geometry, a cuboid (also called a rectangular prism) is a three-dimensional solid with six faces that are rectangles. If all edges are equal and all angles are right angles, the shape is a cube; otherwise it is a rectangular cuboid. In biology, cuboidal describes cells or tissues that have a roughly cube-like profile.

Geometric properties include six faces with opposite faces that are congruent and parallel. The faces meet at right angles in a rectangular cuboid. The dimensions are typically labeled length, width, and height. The volume is calculated as V = l × w × h, and the surface area as SA = 2(lw + lh + wh). The space diagonal length is √(l^2 + w^2 + h^2). Cuboids can be oriented along coordinate axes in a three-dimensional space, and many practical objects approximate rectangular or cuboidal shapes.

In biology, cuboidal epithelium consists of a single layer of cube-shaped cells with nuclei usually near the center. This arrangement is well suited to secretion and absorption and lines many small ducts and tubules. Examples include parts of the kidney tubules, various glandular ducts, and some regions of the thyroid and pancreas. The term is also used to describe cells in other contexts where dimensions give a roughly equal height and width.

Overall, cuboidal describes a cube-like form whether in geometry or cellular anatomy, with precise definitions that depend on the context.