How many sides does a quadrilateral have?

A quadrilateral is defined as a polygon that has exactly four sides. The term "quad" in quadrilateral comes from the Latin word for four. This means that regardless of the lengths of the sides or the measures of the angles, as long as there are four sides, the shape qualifies as a quadrilateral. Common examples include squares, rectangles, trapezoids, and rhombuses, all of which exemplify this four-sided characteristic.