ellipse

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: el=lipse

CIDE DICTIONARY

ellipse, n. [Gr. 'e`lleipsis, 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.].

•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  Omission. See Ellipsis.  [1913 Webster]
•  The elliptical orbit of a planet.  [1913 Webster]

  "The Sun flies forward to his brother Sun;
  The dark Earth follows wheeled in her ellipse."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

ellipse, n. a regular oval, traced by a point moving in a plane so that the sum of its distances from two other points is constant, or resulting when a cone is cut by a plane which does not intersect the base and makes a smaller angle with the base than the side of the cone makes (cf. HYPERBOLA).

Etymology

F f. L ellipsus f. Gk elleipsis f. elleipo come short f. en in + leipo leave

THESAURUS

ellipse

arc, bow, catacaustic, catenary, caustic, circle, conchoid, crook, curl, curve, diacaustic, festoon, hook, hyperbola, lituus, oval, ovoid, ovule, parabola, sinus, tracery

ROGET THESAURUS

ellipse

Circularity

N circularity, roundness, rotundity, circle, circlet, ring, areola, hoop, roundlet, annulus, annulet, bracelet, armlet, ringlet, eye, loop, wheel, cycle, orb, orbit, rundle, zone, belt, cordon, band, contrate wheel, crown wheel, hub, nave, sash, girdle, cestus, cincture, baldric, fillet, fascia, wreath, garland, crown, corona, coronet, chaplet, snood, necklace, collar, noose, lasso, lassoo, ellipse, oval, ovule, ellipsoid, cycloid, epicycloid, epicycle, semicircle, quadrant, sextant, sector, sphere, round, rounded, circular, annular, orbicular, oval, ovate, elliptic, elliptical, egg-shaped, pear-shaped, cycloidal, spherical, I watched the little circles die.