cubus

Cubus is the Latin noun for a cube, the regular hexahedron in three-dimensional geometry. In Latin literature and early mathematical treatises, cubus denoted the cube, and the term is the etymological source of the English word cube.

In geometry, a cube is a polyhedron with six equal square faces, twelve edges, and eight vertices. All dihedral and solid angles are right angles. If the edge length is a, the volume is a^3 and the surface area is 6a^2. In the language of polyhedra, the cube is a regular hexahedron and is the Platonic solid with Schläfli symbol {4,3}.

Historically, the cube was known to ancient Greek geometers and later Latin writers. The term cubus appears in Latin translations of Greek geometry and in medieval works, often alongside other polyhedra; modern mathematical vocabulary uses cube instead.

In modern usage, cubus is largely archaic in English, appearing mainly in historical or Latin contexts. In contemporary math, architecture, and everyday language, cube is used. The word cubus also appears as a brand name or proper noun in various commercial contexts, separate from its geometric meaning.