n. (Abbr. hyp.)
The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle.
[Latin hypotēnūsa, from Greek hupoteinousa, from feminine present participle of hupoteinein, to stretch or extend under : hupo-, hypo- + teinein, to stretch.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
