browse words by letter
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
more about ellipse
ellipse |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Ellipse \El*lipse"\, n. [Gr. ?, prop., a defect, the inclination of the ellipse to the base of the cone being in defect when compared with that of the side to the base: cf F. ellipse. See {Ellipsis}.] 1. (Geom.) An oval or oblong figure, bounded by a regular curve, which corresponds to an oblique projection of a circle, or an oblique section of a cone through its opposite sides. The greatest diameter of the ellipse is the major axis, and the least diameter is the minor axis. See {Conic section}, under {Conic}, and cf {Focus}. 2. (Gram.) Omission. See {Ellipsis}. 3. The elliptical orbit of a planet. The Sun flies forward to his brother Sun; The dark Earth follows wheeled in her ellipse. --Tennyson. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: ellipse n : a closed plane curve resulting from the intersection of a circular cone and a plane cutting completely through it "the sums of the distances from the foci to any point on an ellipse is constant" [syn: {oval}]
more about ellipse
This work is licensed under a
