The two sides of a right triangle that enclose the right angle are called the catheti, or legs.
Opposite cathetus and adjacent cathetus
If you look at one of the acute angles in the right triangle, you can assign it an adjacent cathetus (leg) and an opposite cathetus (leg). The adjacent leg is the one directly adjacent to the angle, the opposite leg is the one directly opposite to the angle.
In the picture you can see the adjacent and opposite legs of the angle .
Still want more?
You can find more content on this topic here: