What happened to 'oblong'?

[Dilbertian]

I was taught that the shape with 4 vertices, 2 long sides and 2 short sides was an oblong.

My dc are being taught that that shape is a rectangle.

I understand that rectangle is commonly used for oblong, but rectangles are shapes that have only right angles, ie squares and oblongs are both rectangles.

Shouldn't our children be taught correct mathematical language? They are being told that they must use 'vertices', not 'corners'. Why the pedantry over this aspect of mathematical language, but not over accurately labelling the shape?

So help, please. If I drew a house when I was 5 and put a roof on it with one pair of sides which were parallel but of different lengths, and the other two weren't, and no right angles, was that a trapezium? Well, I'll shog (Shakespeare ) off and look up the definitions of quadrilaterals and conic sections. Nice thread.

Yes. A trapezium has one set of parallel lines. One is longer than the other. They can have a right angle, but don't need them.

Someone mentioned tetrahedrons upthread. They are a triangular based pyramid where all faces are equilateral triangles.

I use rectangle as it fits nicely with triangle.

Oblong sounds too round as can be the number of people thinking it was a shape with curved ends.

@VerveClique

Apparently 'oblong' is to describe the shape.

So oblong is to rectangle
As round is to circle

I looked in my Pocket Oxford, purchased about 1961. For oblong is says 1.adjective, and 2.noun.

As far as I'm aware, all oblongs are rectangles but not all rectangles are oblongs. A square is technically a type of rectangle.

I always thought oblong and rectangle meant the same thing.

From Cambridge dictionary: a flat shape with four sides and four angles of 90° and opposite sides of equal length

I was taught quadrilateral for others.

Primary 1986-94ish. I think.

I would use as 'number' and I know there was another word for it, but I can't dredge it up right now.

@Dilbertian

Something that is oblong has been stretched, and something that is oblate has been squashed.

Only the denizens of Pedants' Corner can understand how happy this makes me.

Except if we move onto RS where an oblate means something else entirely...although as following one's calling means undergoing formation, so being 'shaped' as it were, perhaps it doesn't after all...

I love the word oblong....my first child said oberlong..... then the next two said it because the first did....and my 3 GC now say oberlong.... it’s the little things....😀

I’m mid thirties and was always taught rectangle, ds is 12 and always taught rectangle as well 🤔