poligonal

Poligonal is an adjective relating to polygons or to anything formed from polygons, especially shapes composed of straight-line segments. It is a variant spelling used in several languages, while the standard English form is polygonal.

In geometry, polygonal describes objects with straight edges. A polygon is a closed polygonal chain, and a polygonal chain (or polyline) is a connected series of line segments. A polygonal mesh subdivides a surface into polygonal faces, commonly triangles or quadrilaterals, and is fundamental in computer graphics, finite element analysis, and geometric modeling.

In computing and computational geometry, polygonal modeling represents 3D objects using polygonal surfaces. Polygonization and mesh generation convert continuous shapes or scanned data into polygonal meshes. Rendering, visualization, and simulation rely on these polygonal discretizations to approximate curves and surfaces.

In surveying and cartography, the term poligonal appears in some languages to describe networks of points connected by straight lines and measured angles. In English, this concept is typically referred to as a polygonal survey or polygonal network, emphasizing the use of polygonal connections to determine positions across a region.

Etymology and usage notes: the term derives from poly- (“many”) and gonia (“angles”) from Greek. While poligonal is encountered in multilingual contexts, polygonal remains the standard English form for describing polygons, polygonal chains, and related concepts.

See also: polygon, polygonal chain, polygon mesh, tessellation, triangulation.